Mbappe vs Haaland, Dream Match-ups and The Village People: Key Moments from the World Cup Draw

The upcoming global tournament is finally starting to feel tangible. While fans can finally start marking their calendars, Friday's ceremony in the US capital was not short of significant headlines.

Well before the Village People performed with YMCA, we were left analyzing a group stage featuring a showdown between football's top forwards and a playoff bracket promising a truly mouthwatering encounter between two greats of the sport.

The Draw That Felt Like It Would Go On Forever

Numerous viewers logged on keen to find out their team's group stage opponents. However, even though supporters are accustomed to these draws being lengthy, this was extraordinary.

After performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from dignitaries and Fifa officials, plus numerous montages and interviews, it eventually appeared to begin almost 60 minutes later. That was an illusion.

Cue more interviews 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 Actual Football...

Next summer's World Cup will be the biggest in the competition's history, with a record 48 teams and a new round of 32. However, this increase in size has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in overall strength.

There are very few fixtures between the traditional powerhouses. England's match with Croatia is the biggest theoretically. That is the only group fixture featuring two teams ranked in the top 10.

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. Nevertheless, interesting matches still await.

Two Goal Machines Go Head-to-Head

Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will get a crack at his major international competition next summer. The Premier League forward netted 16 goals in qualifying matches to drag his nation to their first appearance since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to rival the youngster's ridiculous scoring records—except for one player is set to face him in the last match of the group stage. Together with Senegal, Norway have been paired with the French superstar's Les Bleus.

This means the top marksmen in the English top flight and La Liga will clash for the initial occasion in international football. Expect goals. Lots of goals.

We Meet Again

Mexico will face Bafana Bafana in the first game—repeating history. The sides also opened the tournament in South Africa. That match, ending 1-1, is best remembered for a thunderous goal.

Another notable group game will see France once more face the Senegalese, who stunned the then-world champions back in the 2002 World Cup. On that first day, a then-unknown player upstaged France's galaxy of stars to score the winning goal.

Dream Ties for the First-Timers

Four new nations have benefited from the expanded World Cup to reach the tournament for the first occasion. However, standing in their way are past winners, European champions and Copa America winners.

In one group, the tiny Caribbean island, the smallest nation to ever feature in 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 La Roja.

Jordan, after 40 years of trying, meets title-holders Argentina and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be led by a former champion against the Portuguese icon's Portugal.

And Then Comes the Knockout Stage?

If all the top teams progress from their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the big hitters to meet. The round of 32 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 drawn to the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries Messi and the Portuguese are set for a potential showdown. It would depend on both Messi's team and Portugal finishing top and navigating the early knockout rounds.

Regarding the Three Lions, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the most likely first knockout game. Should Scotland are able to get through, Samurai Blue or the Netherlands could await in what would be their historic World Cup playoff match.