Football Australia boss James Johnson says he is not in rush to appoint next Matildas coach

Football Australia (FA) are closing in on a target for the next Matildas coach, but can’t make any promises on when the appointment will be announced.

The Matildas have been without a permanent boss since Swede Tony Gustavsson’s four-year tenure came to an end following a disappointing Paris Olympics campaign in August.

Tom Sermanni, who led the Matildas in two stints between 1994-1997 and 2005-2012, has been at the helm in an interim role and has produced mixed results across six internationals.

Australia are next in action at February’s SheBelieves Cup in the United States against the hosts, Japan and Colombia, but whether a new coach will be in charge remains to be seen.

FA chief James Johnson stopped short of guaranteeing an appointment when fronting the media on Tuesday.

Sermanni himself has expressed uncertainty on whether he will remain in charge next year, saying he is happy to offer his services for as long as he is required.

“We’d like to be able to make the appointment prior to the SheBelieves Cup but we want to make sure that we have the right coach in place,” Johnson said on Tuesday.

“If that takes some extra time, we’ll take it so that we have the right coach in place for the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and the preparation that goes before it, and then the right coach to take us to the Women’s World Cup in 2027.

“I do appreciate it is taking some time, but that’s deliberate.”

Johnson was equally reserved when asked if they had a target.

“We had a long list. We had a shortlist. We have a very short, short, short, shortlist,” he added.

“The reality is we know who we want. We know the type of coach we want.

“We’ve just got to go out and get that coach when that coach is available.”

The Matildas closed out the year with an emphatic 6-0 thrashing of Taiwan and are set to kick off their SheBelieves Cup campaign against Japan in Houston, Texas on February 20.