The coronavirus pandemic has shattered a glittering international football calendar for Australia's national teams and a potentially postponed Olympics is set to add more uncertainty.
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Australia's male and female teams have both qualified for the Tokyo Games, which could well be shifted to 2021.
The Matildas preparations included prestigious friendlies away to world No.1 the United States and No.8 ranked Canada in April, but both games were cancelled.
The Socceroos had four World Cup qualifiers, including three at home, postponed with two matches scheduled in March and the other two in June.
Also in June, Australia was going to make a first appearance at the prestigious Copa America tournament in Argentina, but that competition has been rescheduled to next year.
'We're going to have to sit down with Arnie (Socceroos coach Graham Arnold) and (Matildas' coach) Ante (Milicic) and the national teams department and look at how the schedule is," FFA chief executive officer James Johnson said on Tuesday.
"We agreed in my first few weeks (in the job) on a fantastic national team calendar.
"This has been blown to bits, so we're going to have to have a plan for the World Cup, how do we plan for the Copa America, how are we going to plan for the Olympics?
"These are all things that we're going to need to reshape now as a result of the virus."
One added complication is Miicic is scheduled to become the inaugural head coach of new A-League club Macarthur FC following the 2020 games.
Asked if Milicic could juggle both jobs,Johnson said: "It's something we're going to have to sit down and look at."
Another issue regarding the Olympic mens' team is the players have to be 23 or under on the first day of a Games year, but some current squad members will be over that age if the if they are put back to 2021.
"I don't think the competition organisers will have thought about in the past what it will mean if the Olympics were postponed for a year," Johnson said.
"I think this is a decision that the Olympics and FIFA are going to have to talk about.
"I'm hoping that anyone that did qualify (by age) for the Olympics is able to become an Olympian. I think that's really important for the players."
If the Tokyo Games are pushed back to 2021, that would theoretically mean currently banned players Lachie Wales and Nathaniel Atkinson would be available,
Both men were last November banned from international football until August 2020 for breaching the national code of conduct in Cambodia in March last year.
Brandon Wilson, who was also banned till that time, would be too old for selection next year under the current criteria.
Australian Associated Press
