The Australian football world was rocked by Graham Arnold's resignation as Socceroos coach on Friday morning.
The decision from Arnold came after an indifferent 2024, including a disappointing Asian Cup and a horror start to the third round of World Cup qualifying.
With the next Socceroos match just three weeks away, Football Australia needs to work fast on appointing a successor, and they need to get it right.
The Sporting News looks at some of the candidates who could be up for the job, with Kevin Muscat already ruling himself out of contention.
MORE: Socceroos World Cup 2026 qualifying: Fixtures, results, scores, groups, squad
Who will replace Graham Arnold as Socceroos coach?
Here are a few candidates who Football Australia could look towards as a new Socceroos coach:
Tony Popovic
According to the Sydney Morning Herald's Vince Rugari, Tony Popovic has won the race to become the next Socceroos coach.
The 51-year-old, who was capped 58 times as a player for the national team, recently departed the Melbourne Victory in the offseason.
He led them to an Australia Cup triumph and a grand final after taking over when they were on their knees, but he wasn't a universally popular figure by the end, with his style of football grating with some fans.
That isn't ideal for Socceroos fans looking for more entertaining football, and Popovic has been known for at times being an abrasive figure who demands wide-ranging control.
That said, he has achieved big things as an underdog, leading the Western Sydney Wanderers to a premiership in their first season and to the Asian Champions League title in their second year.
Herve Renard
National teams tend to attempt to hire domestic managers as they have a knowledge of the game within the country, yet if the Socceroos are to look abroad, Herve Renard could be the best option.
He has had a journeyman career in management to say the least, having coached Zambia and the Ivory Coast to AFCON victories, and Morocco to the 2018 World Cup.
He really came to prominence at the 2022 World Cup, where he masterminded a shock Saudi Arabia victory over eventual winners Argentina.
He was most recently the coach of the French women's national team, being eliminated by the Matildas in the quarter-finals.
He clearly has the ability to get teams to perform to their best on the big stage, and Australia know his quality, having failed to beat the Saudi's twice whilst he was in charge during World Cup qualifiers; he is also a free agent, making any potential negotiations easier.
Nick Montgomery
Whilst Montgomery isn't an Australian national, he has spent so much time in the country as a player or coach he essentially meets the grade.
After captaining the Central Coast Mariners to their first ever grand final win, he then repeated the trick as coach in 2023, garnering praise for his integration of young talent in the side and entertaining football played.
He earned a move to his native Scotland as Hibernian manager last season, but was let go in May of this year; he wasn't out of the game for long, being snapped up as an assistant coach for Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham.
This could pose an issue, as he may be unwilling to leave a role at such a big Premier League club so soon after joining, but the lure of a national team job may be too much to handle.
He also has managed many of the current Socceroos players, which will be beneficial to both squad and coach alike.
Peter Cklamovski
Peter Cklamovski's CV may look slightly less impressive on face value, but when you dig deeper, the current FC Tokyo coach may be a good fit for the Socceroos job.
He served for years as an assistant under legendary Postecoglou, firstly at the Socceroos before following him to Yokohama F. Marinos, where they won the league title together.
He spread his wings and managed on his own in Japan, briefly at Shimizu S-Pulse before a spell with Montedio Yamagata.
He has been fairly impressive at Tokyo in the J1 League, as they currently sit in eighth place; he is highly regarded in Australian football circles, praised for his involvement in the Australian youth set-up and for being a progressive and modern manager from a tactical standpoint.
It may be a left-field appointment if they do make it, but Cklamovski certainly deserves to have his hat in the ring for this discussion.
