🔗 Share this article

Next summer's World Cup is finally beginning to seem very real. Although fans can finally start marking their calendars, Friday's draw in the US capital was full of major talking points.

Well before the iconic group took to the stage with their classic hit, observers were picking the bones out of a group stage featuring a showdown between two of the world's best forwards and a playoff bracket promising a highly anticipated encounter between legends of the game.

The Ceremony That Seemed Like It Would Go On Forever

Numerous viewers tuned in keen to discover their team's group stage fixtures. However, despite the fact fans are accustomed to such ceremonies being lengthy, this one set a new standard.

After acts by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from dignitaries and football's governing body, plus countless video packages and interviews, it eventually appeared to get going almost 60 minutes later. That was an illusion.

This led to more interviews and performances, before the real selection process eventually began nearly an hour and a half after the glitzy event first kicked off. The selection then required almost an hour to complete.

Moving On to the Actual Football...

Next summer's World Cup will be the largest in history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a first-ever additional knockout round. Yet, this expansion has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in quality.

There are very few fixtures between the major nations. The Three Lions' match with their 2018 semi-final opponents is the biggest theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game with two teams ranked in the top 10.

The Selecao versus The Atlas Lions is the next best. The Netherlands have the toughest group by Fifa world rankings, while Die Mannschaft—drawn against less-fancied opponents—have the easiest on paper. But, compelling contests remain.

A Pair of Prolific Scorers Go Head-to-Head

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will get a crack at his first major tournament in the upcoming finals. The Manchester City forward netted 16 goals in qualifying matches to drag his country to their initial berth since 1998.

Few have been able to come close to the youngster's ridiculous scoring records—except for one player is set to come up against him in the final round of the group stage. Along with The Lions of Teranga, The Nordic side have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

This means the leading scorers in the Premier League and Spain's division will go head-to-head for the first time in on the global stage. Anticipate goals. 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 best remembered for a thunderous second-half strike.

Another notable group game will see France again come up against Senegal, who shocked the then-world champions back in 2002. On that first day, a future Fulham midfielder outshone France's cast of star names to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the First-Timers

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have taken advantage of the larger World Cup to reach the finals for the first time. But, standing in their way are past winners, European champions and South American champions.

In one group, Curacao, the smallest nation to ever play at a World Cup, will meet four-time winners Die Mannschaft. Cape Verde, with a resident count of around 600,000, will face European champions and former champions La Roja.

Jordan, after 40 years 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.

And Then Comes the Knockout Stage?

If all the favorites make it safely through their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the heavyweights to meet. The last 16 is where things could get really tasty, most notably with a potential tie between former champions Germany and the French.

On the opposite half of the draw, eyes will be drawn to the quarter-final stage, where old rivals the Argentine and Ronaldo are set for a possible showdown. It would require both Messi's team and Ronaldo's side winning their groups and squeezing through the early knockout rounds.

Regarding the Three Lions, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the probable first knockout game. Should Scotland progress, Samurai Blue or the Dutch could await in what would be their historic World Cup knockout fixture.