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Next summer's World Cup is at last starting to feel very real. Although fans can finally start marking their calendars, the recent ceremony in the US capital was not short of significant headlines.

Well before the Village People performed with their classic hit, observers were picking the bones out of a group stage that includes a clash between two of the world's best forwards and a knockout stage promising a highly anticipated meeting between two greats of the game.

The Ceremony That Seemed Like It Would Go On Forever

Numerous viewers tuned in eager to discover their national side's initial opponents. However, even though fans are accustomed to such ceremonies taking some time, this was extraordinary.

Following performances by a pop star and a former Pussycat Doll, addresses from political leaders and Fifa officials, plus countless montages and interviews, it eventually appeared to get going nearly an hour later. Or so we thought.

Cue further commentary and performances, before the real selection process eventually began around 90 minutes after the glitzy event initially started. The selection then took 59 minutes to complete.

Moving On to the Football Itself...

Next summer's World Cup will be the largest in history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a first-ever additional knockout round. However, this expansion has perhaps led to the group stage being slightly diluted in quality.

There are hardly any fixtures between the major nations. England's game against Croatia is the most significant theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game with two teams ranked in the top 10.

The Selecao versus Morocco 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 remain.

Two Goal Machines Face Off

Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will make his debut in his first major tournament in the upcoming finals. The Manchester City striker scored 16 times in qualifying matches to drag his nation to their first appearance since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to rival the youngster's incredible goalscoring feats—but someone who has is set to come up against him in the last match of the group stage. Together with The Lions of Teranga, The Nordic side have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's France.

This means the leading scorers in the English top flight and Spain's division will clash for the initial occasion in international football. Expect net-bulgers. Lots of goals.

A Familiar Foe

El Tri will take on Bafana Bafana in the opening match—and not for the first time. The two teams also opened the 2010 edition. That game, ending 1-1, is most famous for a thunderous second-half strike.

Another eye-catching group game will see France again come up against Senegal, who shocked the then-world champions back in 2002. On that opening night, a future Fulham midfielder upstaged France's cast of star names to score the decisive goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the First-Timers

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have taken advantage of the expanded World Cup to qualify for the tournament for the first time. But, standing in their way are former world champions, continental title-holders and South American champions.

In one group, Curacao, the least populous country to ever play at a World Cup, will meet multiple winners Germany. The island nation, with a resident count of around 600,000, will face Euro winners and former champions La Roja.

Jordan, after decades of trying, will face defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be led by a former champion against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

What About the Knockout Stage?

If all the favorites make it safely through their groups, fans may not wait long for the big hitters to collide. The last 16 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a possible matchup between past winners Germany and the French.

On the other side of the bracket, eyes will be fixed on the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries Messi and Ronaldo are lined up for a possible showdown. It would require both Messi's team and Portugal winning their groups and navigating the early knockout rounds.

Regarding the Three Lions, a match with tournament hosts seems the most likely last-32 tie. Should the Scots progress, Japan or the Dutch could be waiting in what would be their historic World Cup knockout fixture.