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The upcoming World Cup is at last starting to feel very real. Although fans are now able to begin marking their calendars, Friday's ceremony in Washington DC was full of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People took to the stage with YMCA, observers were picking the bones out of a group stage featuring a showdown between two of the world's best strikers and a knockout stage that could produce a highly anticipated meeting between two greats of the game.

The Ceremony That Felt Like It May Never End

Many people tuned in keen to discover their team's initial opponents. But, even though fans are accustomed to these draws being lengthy, this one set a new standard.

After acts by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from political leaders and football's governing body, plus countless video packages and interviews, it finally seemed to get going almost 60 minutes later. Or so we thought.

This led to further commentary and entertainment, before the actual draw eventually began nearly an hour and a half after the star-studded show first kicked off. The draw itself then required almost an hour to finish.

On to the Actual Football...

The upcoming tournament will be the biggest in the competition's history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a first-ever additional knockout round. However, this expansion has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in quality.

There are very few fixtures between the major nations. England's game against Croatia is the biggest on paper. That is the only group fixture featuring two teams inside the world's elite.

Brazil versus Morocco is the next best. The Netherlands have the toughest group by official standings, while Die Mannschaft—grouped with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the weakest. Nevertheless, interesting matches still await.

A Pair of Prolific Scorers Go Head-to-Head

Generational goalgetter Norway's star will get a crack at his major international competition next summer. The Premier League forward netted 16 goals in eight matches to drag his country to their initial berth since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to rival the youngster's incredible goalscoring feats—but someone who has is scheduled to face him in the last match of the group stage. Along with Senegal, Norway have been paired with the French superstar's France.

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

We Meet Again

Mexico will take on South Africa in the first game—and not for the first time. The sides also kicked off the tournament in South Africa. That match, which finished 1-1, is best remembered for a rasping goal.

Another notable group game will see France once more face Senegal, who shocked the reigning title-holders back in the 2002 World Cup. On that opening night, a then-unknown player outshone France's galaxy of stars to score the decisive goal.

Dream Ties for the Debutants

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have taken advantage of the expanded World Cup to qualify for the tournament for the first occasion. However, standing in their way are former world champions, European champions and South American champions.

In one group, the tiny Caribbean island, the smallest nation to ever play at a World Cup, will meet multiple winners Die Mannschaft. Cape Verde, with a resident count of around 600,000, will face Euro winners and 2010 World Cup winners Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after decades of trying, meets defending champions Argentina and the legendary forward. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a former champion against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

And Then Comes the Playoff Rounds?

Assuming all the top teams progress from their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the heavyweights to meet. The round of 32 is where things could get really tasty, most notably with a potential tie between former champions the Germans and France.

On the opposite half of the draw, eyes will be fixed on the last eight, where old rivals Messi and Ronaldo are set for a potential clash. It would depend on both Messi's team and Ronaldo's side winning their groups and navigating the initial playoffs.

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