Speaking on ESPN show Pardon The Interruption, Arnold said he'd likely leave the national body after the current World Cup campaign, and that he was looking at Asia as his next coaching port of call, and not the A-League.

"My contract goes until 2010, and I'll talk to Football Australia at the end of it but my goals are that I'd like to go back overseas. As a coach," he said.

"We're in Asia and the connection with Australia is very healthy and move somewhere into Japan, the premier league of Asia, that would be a nice place to start."

Quizzed on whether that would mean coaching a J-League side against an A-League team in the ACL and Arnold smiled and said: "Let's hope so."

Arnold is a former J-League player with Hiroshima Sanfrecce. His only other club coaching assignment was with Aussie NSL club Northern Spirit.

Since 1999, he's been an assistant coach to various national team managers but took the reins of the national team for a number of games post World Cup 2006 and for the 2007 Asian Cup.

The 45-year-old also coached the Olyroos at last year's Olympics.