Arnold's current contract officially expires the moment the Socceroos exit the 2022 FIFA World Cup showpiece in Qatar.

ARNOLD'S WORLD CUP INCENTIVE

  • Socceroos chief Graham Arnold will be offered a new four-year contract if Australia perform creditably at the World Cup.
  • Arnold's Socceroos clinched qualification for Qatar by the skin of their teeth and have it all to do in tough group including France, Denmark and Tunisia.
  • The coach has fast-tracked the careers of a host of youngsters he hopes will come of age at the World Cup.

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But if he and assistant Rene Meulensteen can coax convincing and compelling performances to confound expectations, the reward of four more years at the helm beckons - even if Australia fail to reach the last 16.

Having qualified for Qatar courtesy of a dramatic penalty shoot-out play-off win over Peru, Arnold's Socceroos face daunting opposition in world champions France, dangerous Denmark and tricky Tunisia in Group D of the global showpiece,

France and Denmark are hot favourites to progress to the knock out stages, with Australia and the north Africans, at least on paper, typecast as the also-rans.

It's understood, however, that Football Australia will look beyond the raw mathematics of results in assessing Arnold, looking instead at team cohesion, the vibrancy - or otherwise - of each 90 minutes and proof of continued progress of the host of fresh faces the coach has ushered through from the Olyroos to the Socceroos.

It was assumed that Arnold would return to clubland, possibly in Asia or even Europe after the World Cup, but the incentive of staying on would also be temping for the 59-year-old with the 2023 Asian Cup in China next on the agenda, followed by the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by Canada, the US and Mexico.

With France first up on November 23, Australia will look to catch Gallic goliaths cold as they did in the same match at the same stage back at Russia 2018, before succumbing 2-1.

They picked up their sole point four years ago, in a group which also included Peru, against the Danes thanks to a Mile Jedinak spot-kick.

It would be premature, even foolhardy, to entirely dismiss Australia's hopes of snatching a top-two group finish this time.

They were written off before their intercontinental play-off against Peru back in June, not least by the south Americans themselves who were swanning around Madrid with the air of relaxed vacationers only hours before decamping for Qatar to face the Socceroos.

Arnold, for all the criticism he has endured during his four years in charge, has emerged as the great survivalist.

The lure is now there for him to continue to defy those who claimed qualification was beyond him.

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