Mbappe vs Haaland, Fantasy Fixtures and The Village People: Key Moments from the World Cup Draw

The upcoming World Cup is at last beginning to seem very real. While fans are now able to begin marking their calendars, Friday's draw in Washington DC was not short of significant headlines.

Long before the iconic group performed with YMCA, we were left analyzing a group stage featuring a clash between football's top strikers and a playoff bracket promising a highly anticipated meeting between two greats of the game.

The Ceremony That Felt Like It May Never End

Numerous viewers tuned in keen to find out their national side's initial fixtures. But, despite the fact supporters are used to such ceremonies being lengthy, this was extraordinary.

Following acts by a pop star and a former Pussycat Doll, addresses from dignitaries and Fifa officials, plus numerous montages and interviews, it finally seemed to get going almost 60 minutes later. That was an illusion.

Cue more interviews and entertainment, before the actual draw eventually began around 90 minutes after the glitzy event initially started. The draw itself then took 59 minutes to finish.

On to the Football Itself...

Next summer's tournament will be the biggest in the competition's history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a first-ever additional knockout round. However, this increase in size has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in quality.

There are hardly any fixtures between the traditional powerhouses. The Three Lions' game against Croatia is the biggest theoretically. That is the only group fixture featuring two teams inside the world's elite.

The Selecao versus The Atlas Lions is the second most intriguing. The Netherlands have the most difficult draw by official standings, while Die Mannschaft—drawn against less-fancied opponents—have the easiest on paper. But, interesting matches remain.

Two Prolific Scorers Go Head-to-Head

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will make his debut in his first major tournament next summer. The Manchester City forward scored 16 times in qualifying matches to single-handedly carry his country to their first appearance since 1998.

Few have managed to rival the 25-year-old's incredible goalscoring feats—but someone who has is scheduled to face him in the final round of the group stage. Together with Senegal, The Nordic side have been paired with Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

This means the top marksmen in the Premier League and Spain's division will clash for the initial occasion in on the global stage. Expect net-bulgers. Plenty of scoring.

A Familiar Foe

El Tri will take on Bafana Bafana in the opening match—and not for the first time. The sides also kicked off the 2010 edition. That game, ending 1-1, is most famous for a thunderous goal.

Another eye-catching group game will see the French once more face Senegal, who stunned the reigning title-holders back in the 2002 World Cup. On that first day, a then-unknown player upstaged France's cast of star names to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the First-Timers

Four new nations have taken advantage of the larger World Cup to qualify for the finals for the first occasion. However, standing in their way are past winners, European champions and South American champions.

In one group, the tiny Caribbean island, the least populous country to ever feature in a World Cup, will take on four-time winners Germany. Cape Verde, with a resident count of around half a million, will face Euro winners and 2010 World Cup winners La Roja.

Jordan, after decades of trying, meets defending champions Argentina and the legendary forward. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a 2006 World Cup winner against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

What About the Knockout Stage?

Assuming all the favorites progress from their groups, fans may not wait long for the heavyweights to collide. The last 16 is where things could get really tasty, most notably with a possible matchup between former champions Germany and France.

On the other side of the bracket, eyes will be fixed on the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries Messi and the Portuguese are lined up for a possible showdown. It would depend on both Argentina and Ronaldo's side finishing top and squeezing through the initial playoffs.

Regarding the Three Lions, a game against tournament hosts seems the most likely first knockout game. Should the Scots progress, Japan or the Netherlands could await in what would be their historic World Cup knockout fixture.