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Next summer's World Cup is finally starting to feel tangible. Although fans are now able to begin marking their calendars, the recent draw in the US capital was not short of major talking points.

Long before the Village People performed with YMCA, we were left picking the bones out of a group stage featuring a clash between two of the world's best forwards and a knockout stage promising a highly anticipated encounter between legends of the game.

The Draw That Seemed Like It Would Go On Forever

Numerous viewers logged on keen to find out their national side's group stage fixtures. But, despite the fact supporters are accustomed to such ceremonies taking some time, this one set a new standard.

After acts by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from political leaders and Fifa officials, plus countless video packages and interviews, it eventually appeared to begin nearly an hour later. Or so we thought.

Cue more interviews and entertainment, before the real selection process finally commenced nearly an hour and a half after the glitzy event initially started. The draw itself then required almost an hour to complete.

Moving On to the Football Itself...

The upcoming World Cup will be the biggest in the competition's history, with a record 48 teams and a first-ever additional knockout round. However, this expansion has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in overall strength.

There are very few matches between the traditional powerhouses. England's game against Croatia is the biggest theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game featuring two teams ranked in the top 10.

The Selecao versus The Atlas Lions is the next best. The Netherlands have the most difficult draw by Fifa world rankings, while Die Mannschaft—drawn against less-fancied opponents—have the weakest. Nevertheless, interesting matches still await.

Two Goal Machines Face Off

Phenomenal striker Norway's star will make his debut in his first major tournament in the upcoming finals. The Manchester City striker netted 16 goals in qualifying matches to single-handedly carry his nation to their initial berth since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to come close to the youngster's incredible goalscoring feats—except for one player is scheduled to come up against him in the last match of group games. Together with Senegal, The Nordic side have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

This means the top marksmen in the English top flight and Spain's division will clash for the first time in on the global stage. Anticipate goals. Plenty of scoring.

We Meet Again

El Tri will face South Africa in the first game—and not for the first time. The two teams also kicked off the 2010 edition. That game, which finished 1-1, is most famous for a rasping second-half strike.

Another notable group game will see France again come up against the Senegalese, who stunned the reigning title-holders back in 2002. On that opening night, a future Fulham midfielder upstaged France's cast of star names to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the Debutants

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have benefited from the expanded World Cup to qualify for the tournament for the first time. But, awaiting them are former world champions, continental title-holders 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 Die Mannschaft. Cape Verde, with a population of around 600,000, will face European champions and former champions Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after 40 years of trying, will face defending champions La Albiceleste and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be led by a former champion against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

And Then Comes the Knockout Stage?

If all the favorites make it safely through their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the big hitters to collide. The last 16 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a potential tie between past winners the Germans and France.

On the other side of the draw, eyes will be fixed on the last eight, where historic adversaries the Argentine and Ronaldo are lined up for a potential showdown. It would require both Messi's team and Portugal winning their groups and navigating the initial playoffs.

For England, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the probable last-32 tie. Should the Scots are able to get through, Samurai Blue or the Netherlands could await in what would be their historic World Cup playoff match.