Three dozen candidates of varying pedigree applied, but the FFA says it has now whittled them down to a shortlist of six or less as the painstaking process to replace Ange Postecoglou in the Socceroos hot seat continues.
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Interviews could begin as soon as the end of this week although an appointment could be as much as four weeks away.
Those on the shortlist are a mixture of local and foreign candidates, although the FFA is staying tight-lipped about the identities.
That has not stopped speculation from raging, with Graham Arnold tipped as the most likely local option, with any number of high-profile foreign names suggested as potential candidates should the FFA look beyond these shores.
Former Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk - who got Saudi Arabia direct qualification for the World Cup in Russia at Australia's expense - is one name that has cropped up more regularly in recent weeks.
In addition to his exploits with the Saudis, van Marwijk took the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final, where they lost narrowly 1-0 to Spain.
Others mentioned include ex-West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, who was sacked earlier on in the current Premier League season, another former Dutch manager in Louis van Gaal, who has been out of work since being sacked by Manchester United after winning the FA Cup in 2016, and former US and Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann.
Plenty have also suggested that Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa, whose high-energy high-pressing game was said to have influenced Postecoglou's approach (among numerous coaches around the world) would also be an interesting fit.
Aside from Arnold, the only other locally based coach to have had some support is former Socceroo centre half and ex-West Sydney Wanderers mentor Tony Popovic, who is out of work following his brief tenure in Turkey.
While the FFA might not have the huge dollars to offer that some other federations do, the carrot of coaching a team at the World Cup is working in its favour, especially if it chooses to make a short-term appointment just for the tournament.
Bielsa has twice coached in the World Cup, his native Argentina in 2002 and Chile in 2010. Klinsmann led Germany to the semi-finals in 2006, where they lost to eventual winners Italy, and took the US to the round of 16 in 2014.
Van Marwijk showed his pragmatic edge in the 2010 World Cup when he helmed a noticeably physical Dutch side to the final where they went down in a scrappy affair to the all-conquering Spaniards.
Having coached twice against Australia in the most recent qualifiers he would certainly be aware, more than any other candidate bar Arnold, of the Socceroos' strengths and weaknesses, something that should allow him to hit the ground running if he gets the nod.
Van Gaal took his Holland team to a third place in 2014 after losing the semi-final to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out.
There is a suggestion that the FFA might opt to hire a foreigner like van Marwijk on a short-term basis for this World Cup with a local like Arnold assisting, with the latter then taking over to guide the Socceroos to their defence of the Asian Cup and then into the next World Cup qualifying cycle.
Arnold's situation with Sydney, where he has a contract, may also be a stumbling block, although should he get the position there is precedent for doing the job part-time through to the World Cup: Guus Hiddink did in 2006, when he masterminded the Socceroos build-up from afar as he kept his day job with PSV Eindhoven.
"It has been clear from the outset that we have to pick someone who can lead the Socceroos for this year's World Cup while also making sure we have the right set-up for the future, including next year's Asian Cup," FFA chief David Gallop said.
