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The upcoming World Cup is at last starting to feel very real. Although fans can finally start marking their calendars, Friday's draw in Washington DC was not short of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People took to the stage with their classic hit, we were left analyzing a opening round featuring a showdown between football's top forwards and a playoff bracket promising a highly anticipated encounter between legends of the sport.

The Draw That Seemed Like It Would Go On Forever

Many people logged on keen to discover their team's initial fixtures. However, even though fans are used to these draws being lengthy, this was extraordinary.

After acts by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from political leaders and Fifa officials, plus numerous video packages and interviews, it finally seemed to get going nearly an hour later. Or so we thought.

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

Moving On to the Football Itself...

The upcoming tournament will be the biggest in history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a new round of 32. Yet, this increase in size has perhaps led to the group stage being slightly diluted in quality.

There are hardly any matches between the traditional powerhouses. The Three Lions' match with Croatia is the biggest on paper. That is the only group fixture featuring two teams inside the world's elite.

The Selecao versus The Atlas Lions is the next best. The Netherlands have the most difficult draw by official standings, while Germany—grouped with less-fancied opponents—have the easiest on paper. Nevertheless, interesting matches remain.

A Pair of Prolific Scorers Face Off

Phenomenal striker Norway's star will get a crack at his major international competition in the upcoming finals. The Manchester City striker scored 16 times in qualifying matches to drag his nation to their initial berth since 1998.

Few have been able to come close to the 25-year-old's ridiculous scoring records—except for one player is set to come up against him in the last match of the group stage. Along with Senegal, Norway have been paired with Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

This means the leading scorers in the Premier League and La Liga 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 South Africa in the opening match—and not for the first time. The sides also kicked off the 2010 edition. That match, ending 1-1, is most famous for a thunderous goal.

Another eye-catching fixture will see the French again come up against the Senegalese, who stunned the then-world champions back in 2002. On that opening night, a future Fulham midfielder upstaged France's galaxy of stars to score the winning goal.

Dream Ties for the First-Timers

Four new nations have benefited from the larger World Cup to reach the finals for the first time. But, standing in their way are past winners, continental title-holders and Copa America winners.

In one group, Curacao, the smallest nation to ever play at a World Cup, will take on multiple winners Germany. The island nation, with a resident count of around half a million, will face European champions and former champions Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after decades of trying, meets title-holders La Albiceleste and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be led by a 2006 World Cup winner against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

And Then Comes the Playoff Rounds?

Assuming all the top teams make it safely through their groups, fans may not wait long for the big hitters to meet. The last 16 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a potential tie between former champions the Germans and France.

On the opposite half of the bracket, eyes will be drawn to the quarter-final stage, where old rivals the Argentine and the Portuguese are lined up for a potential showdown. It would depend on both Argentina and Ronaldo's side winning their groups and squeezing through the initial playoffs.

For England, a game against tournament hosts seems the most likely first knockout game. Should the Scots progress, Samurai Blue or the Dutch could await in what would be their historic World Cup playoff match.