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Next summer's global tournament is finally beginning to seem tangible. While fans can finally start marking their calendars, Friday's ceremony in Washington DC was not short of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People performed with their classic hit, observers were picking the bones out of a opening round that includes a clash between football's top forwards and a playoff bracket promising a truly mouthwatering encounter between legends of the sport.

The Draw That Felt 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 taking some time, this one set a new standard.

Following performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from political leaders and football's governing body, plus countless montages and interviews, it eventually appeared to get going almost 60 minutes later. Or so we thought.

Cue more interviews and performances, before the actual draw eventually began around 90 minutes after the star-studded show first kicked off. The selection then required almost an hour to complete.

On to the Actual Football...

Next summer's World Cup will be the largest in the competition's history, with a record 48 teams and a new round of 32. However, this expansion has maybe resulted in the initial phase being somewhat weakened in overall strength.

There are very few fixtures between the major nations. The Three Lions' match with Croatia is the biggest theoretically. That is the only group fixture featuring two teams ranked in the top 10.

The Selecao versus Morocco is the second most intriguing. The Dutch have the most difficult draw by Fifa world rankings, while Die Mannschaft—grouped with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the easiest on paper. Nevertheless, interesting matches still await.

Two Goal Machines Go Head-to-Head

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

Few have managed to come close to the youngster's incredible scoring records—but someone who has is scheduled to come up against him in the final round of group games. Along with Senegal, The Nordic side have been drawn against the French superstar's Les Bleus.

This means the leading scorers in the Premier League and La Liga will clash for the initial occasion in international football. Anticipate goals. Plenty of scoring.

A Familiar Foe

Mexico will face South Africa in the opening match—repeating history. The two teams also opened the 2010 edition. That match, ending 1-1, is best remembered for a thunderous second-half strike.

Another eye-catching fixture will see France again come up against the Senegalese, who shocked the reigning title-holders back in 2002. On that opening night, a then-unknown player upstaged France's cast of star names to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the Debutants

Four new nations have taken advantage of the larger World Cup to reach the tournament for the first occasion. But, awaiting them 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 Germany. Cape Verde, with a resident count of around 600,000, will face Euro winners and 2010 World Cup winners La Roja.

The Middle Eastern side, after 40 years of trying, meets defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a 2006 World Cup winner against the Portuguese icon's Portugal.

What About the Knockout Stage?

Assuming all the top teams make it safely through their groups, fans may not wait long 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 France.

On the other side of the draw, eyes will be drawn to the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries the Argentine and Ronaldo are lined up for a possible clash. It would depend on both Messi's team and Ronaldo's side finishing top and squeezing through the early knockout rounds.

For England, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the probable first knockout game. Should Scotland progress, Samurai Blue or the Netherlands could be waiting in what would be their first ever World Cup knockout fixture.