🔗 Share this article

The upcoming World Cup is finally starting to feel tangible. While fans can finally start planning their schedules, the recent draw in the US capital was not short of significant headlines.

Well before the Village People took to the stage with their classic hit, observers were picking the bones out of a opening round featuring a showdown between football's top forwards and a knockout stage promising a truly mouthwatering meeting between legends of the sport.

The Ceremony That Felt Like It May Never End

Many people logged on keen to discover their national side's initial fixtures. But, even though fans are accustomed to these draws taking some time, this was extraordinary.

After performances by a pop star and a former Pussycat Doll, addresses from dignitaries and football's governing body, plus countless montages and discussions, it eventually appeared to begin nearly an hour later. Or so we thought.

Cue further commentary and performances, before the actual draw eventually began nearly an hour and a half after the star-studded show first kicked off. The draw itself then took 59 minutes to complete.

On to the Football Itself...

The upcoming World Cup will be the biggest in the competition's history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a first-ever additional knockout round. However, this increase in size has perhaps led to the initial phase being somewhat weakened in overall strength.

There are very few matches between the traditional powerhouses. The Three Lions' game against Croatia is the biggest theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game with two teams ranked in the top 10.

The Selecao versus Morocco is the second most intriguing. The Dutch have the toughest group by official standings, while Germany—grouped with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the weakest. Nevertheless, compelling contests remain.

Two Goal Machines Face Off

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will make his debut in his first major tournament next summer. 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 goalscoring feats—but someone who has is scheduled to come up against him in the final round of the group stage. Along with The Lions of Teranga, Norway have been paired with Kylian Mbappe's France.

This means the leading scorers in the English top flight and La Liga will go head-to-head for the initial occasion in on the global stage. Anticipate goals. Plenty of scoring.

We Meet Again

El Tri will take on Bafana Bafana in the first game—repeating history. The two teams also opened the 2010 edition. That match, which finished 1-1, is best remembered for a rasping goal.

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

Dream Ties for the Debutants

Four new nations have taken advantage of the expanded World Cup to reach the tournament for the first occasion. However, 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 take on four-time winners Germany. The island nation, with a population of around half a million, will face European champions and former champions Spain.

Jordan, after 40 years of trying, will face defending champions Argentina and the legendary forward. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be led by a former champion against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

What About the Knockout Stage?

Assuming all the favorites progress from 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 Germany and France.

On the other side of the bracket, eyes will be fixed on the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries Messi and Ronaldo are lined up for a possible showdown. It would require both Argentina and Ronaldo's side winning their groups and squeezing through the early knockout rounds.

For England, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the probable last-32 tie. And, if Scotland are able to get through, Japan or the Dutch could be waiting in what would be their first ever World Cup knockout fixture.