On Friday night, whether on television, radio, Twitter or Facebook, there will be no escaping the draw for the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
Few people, no matter how uninterested they are in football, are unaffected by its outcome.
For those planning a trip to Brazil, it is the day that kicks off a period of frenzied travel planning; hunting match tickets; booking flights and hotels; and begging permission from significant others.
For everyone else, it is the time to ensure schedules are kept open, that all commitments are avoided between June 12 and July 13 next year.
That means no weddings, no birthday parties, or any activity that does not involve a television screen.
The good news is that just about everyone but the most football-hating individuals will probably be on the bandwagon by the time the World Cup starts.
And in 2014 it is not taking place just anywhere; it is in Brazil, the torch bearers of the “Beautiful Game”, hosting the competition for the first time in 64 years.
Despite winning the World Cup a record five times since, the nation arguably has never got over the trauma of losing to Uruguay at the Maracana in 1950.
The defeat brought about a change in Brazilian national psyche, and not just in their football.
It also prompted the switch from the white strips they wore that day to the famous gold, blue and white that Pele, Zico and Ronaldinho have graced since.
Now Neymar and company have, at long last, a chance to banish that disappointment.
From Rio to Dubai, there will be no escaping the Brazilian colours over the next seven months, starting at Friday night’s draw.
Of course, Fifa will not make it easy for you. They never do.
There will quite literally be a song and dance before those coloured balls are introduced.
The dance group Companhia de Danca Deborah Colker will perform, as will Brazilian singers Alexandre Pires and Vanessa da Mata. There will be dramatic montages of previous World Cups.
But get past that, and the pay-off is worth it. Unlike the draw for the Uefa Champions League, where the same teams inevitably end up clashing year after year, the permutations for the World Cup are fascinating.
Inevitably, and for well-documented reasons and draw procedures, the process will favour the European and South American giants.
And, curiously this time around, Switzerland. The Swiss have been included with the top seeds in Pot 1, much to the annoyance of the likes of Italy and Holland, and though they have less of a case, England and France, all of whom are in Pot 4.
For those looking to support smaller footballing nations, the draw is even more exciting, if no doubt daunting.
Algeria, the one Arab team to make it to the finals, can expect a tough task regardless of how those balls fall.
At the very least, they are guaranteed to be in a group with a European or South American from Pot 1 and another European powerhouse Pot 4.
Then again, they did cause one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets when they beat West Germany 2-1 at Spain ’82, and they drew with England in South Africa four years ago.
Few teams would want to be paired with the other African nations of Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Bosnia, making their World Cup debut, will tug at the hearts of neutrals. Meanwhile, the Asian qualifiers – South Korea, Iran, Japan and Australia – may be in the “easy” Pot 3, but are more than capable of causing upsets.
And spare a thought for a very fine United States team, who find themselves in Pot 3 and staring the certainty of facing at least two of the major nations; at least the European teams in Pot 4 have the consolation of avoiding each other.
Finally, keep an eye out for which one of the nine European teams in Pot 4 is randomly dropped into the vacant spot in Pot 2.
It raises the possibility of a group such as Brazil, Italy, Mexico and the Netherlands, which has the potential to make the opening weeks of the tournament very interesting.
akhaled@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE