Asian Cup postponement leaves Socceroos, FA and coach Tony Popovic at crossroads | Joey Lynch

Confirmation that the Asian Cup has been postponed until December 2027 would have caught few by surprise. But the timing of Tuesday’s announcement might have, given it came well ahead of the late November timeframe hinted at by the AFC. Yet with Houthi attacks continuing across Saudi Arabia, it felt inevitable the tournament would be deferred.

However foreseeable though, it has left the Socceroos, their coach Tony Popovic and Football Australia at a crossroads.

Related: AFC postpones Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia to late 2027 due to conflict in Middle East

It is a major tournament the Socceroos harboured hopes of winning. Japan would have been considered favourites; the Samurai Blue, despite having been underachievers since winning in 2011, have earned that mantle. But, despite back-to-back quarter-final exits, Australia are also acknowledged as a continental heavyweight by their peers, coming off a World Cup in which they were one of only two Asian sides to progress to the knockout stages. And with rivals such as Qatar, South Korea and Iran all aging and/or experiencing significant upheaval, the regional picture suggested they should have challenged in January.

Popovic would have been able to take to Saudi Arabia a side brimming with young talent and boasting an enviable combination of consistent improvement and valuable World Cup experience. They would have been building on an October window in which they twice met Brazil and a pair of ideal preparatory games against the 2023 Asian Cup finalists, Qatar and Jordan, in November.

Even with fitness concerns hovering over Mohamed Touré and Jordy Bos, the talent and momentum was there for the Socceroos to win a second Asian crown.

Nonetheless, there are silver linings. The tournament may benefit from a 12-month delay, as it will feel less like a post-World Cup afterthought. The postponement could also allow the Socceroos to further evolve and become even better by Christmas next year.

Another 11 months means further development, both for the Socceroos as a collective and for individuals such as Nestory Irankunda, Paul Okon-Engstler, Alessandro Circati and Lucas Herrington. Following their recent high-profile moves to some of Europe’s biggest clubs and leagues, that progression could be significant. It also allows for injured players such as Bos, Touré and Lewis Miller time to recover, while other youngsters yet to establish themselves get more time to impress.

In this scenario, the hope is that a bird in the hand isn’t worth two in the bush – that more injuries don’t strike and that veterans such as Jackson Irvine and Aziz Behich maintain their current form.

But the more immediate question arising from the announcement is what it means for Popovic. The November window is now ostensibly the 53-year-old’s last as Socceroos coach; the contract extension he signed ahead of the World Cup, which was supposed to take him through this tournament, concludes on a definitive date rather than a nebulous “post Asian Cup” marker.

Popovic and Football Australia face a challenge neither would have expected when they hammered out – at the coach’s insistence – a deal that only took him through to the end of the continental showpiece. A similar scenario confronts Graham Arnold with Iraq, while Japan have already signalled that Hajime Moriyasu will be replaced by Go Oiwa.

Is it now simply a matter of extending Popovic’s deal through to 21 January 2028? Given the federation offered him that longer-term deal, and executives such as Heather Garriock and Martin Kugeler have never been anything but effusive in their praise, it’s almost certain Popovic would be able to if he wants. But does he?

He would have had his reasons for not wanting to be locked into a longer-term deal. And as a football-obsessed workhorse, it’s entirely possible he’d have ambitions to return to the grind of club football. His stock is high after leading the Socceroos to the World Cup’s knockout stages, and further bolstered by a window where his side performed well against Brazil and he drew praise from Carlo Ancelotti. If he wants a new challenge, he has earned one.

But what if he stays, only to depart after another 12 months? Kevin Muscat has always appeared to be an obvious successor, especially given he’ll be a free agent after the imminent conclusion of the Chinese Super League. And if Popovic does opt to depart, he should be offered the job. But would he – or another preferred candidate – be willing to wait a year, especially with World Cup qualification will still beginning in September? Does Football Australia risk being left to scramble come 2028 if they don’t play their cards right?

Just like seemingly everything else in Australian football, the postponement of the Asian Cup presents as both a potential opportunity and a curse.