Football Australia have confidence a new coach can quickly bounce the Matildas back to form after having a front-row seat for the resurgence of the United States under Emma Hayes.
Chief executive James Johnson is also adamant there is no firm deadline to find a replacement for Tony Gustavsson who will lead the Matildas through to the 2028 Olympics.
The US sacked Vlatko Andonovski after their round-of-16 exit at last year's Women's World Cup, then appointed Englishwoman Hayes in November.
The former Chelsea manager took charge in June and has led a revitalised US team to the Olympic gold medal match on Friday (Saturday 1am AEST) - including beating the Matildas in the group stage.
Asked if the Matildas' top form can be recovered quickly, Johnson said: "It absolutely can."
"And the United States is the mecca of women's football. They're a powerhouse. And Emma's done a fantastic job with that team," Johnson told AAP.
"They've got every chance of winning a gold medal in year one.
"That's a credit to the production line that's been put in place over many years and the investment today we're all making in the women's game - but the US have been doing it for over a decade.
"So it is impressive. It does show that it can be done. We need to look at what we can do in our circumstances. And we've invested more than we've ever invested in our youth national teams.
"We've got coaches in place, we've established a new team, an under-23 women's team, and those decisions and those investments are made to set ourselves up so that the next coach can bring a new group of players through over the cycle."
The new coach will be charged with attempting to win the 2026 Asian Cup on home soil - a title the Matildas haven't claimed since 2010.
But they will also need to usher in new players and empower the likes of Mary Fowler, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Clare Hunt to step up.
"Coaches, they're not always on the shelf," Johnson said.
"The top coaches are often contracted, and there's going to be probably a period that we're going to have to wait for the right coach to come in.
"So the coach is going to need to be able to, like we said with Emma Hayes, turn the team around quickly and effectively and be ready to win a women's Asian Cup on home soil.
"We then have another 15-month period before another major competition that'll be July 2027 when the World Cup is in Brazil. So that'll be a period that the coach can again build up.
"But that's what the coach is paid for, right? The coach has got to juggle the pressures of performing in the short term, but also building the team in the medium term. That's why we pay the big bucks."
Former San Diego Wave and Manchester United coach Casey Stoney and highly-successful Sydney FC mentor Ante Juric are among those who have been linked to the Australia role.
FA have indicated they would like to make an appointment ahead of the October international window - the first of eight before the Asian Cup.
But Johnson is happy to be patient.
"Ultimately, the priority is on getting the right person in, and we'll make sure that we take our time to make sure that appointment is done correctly," he said.
"And if we have to wait a little bit to get the coach in, then we're prepared to do it."
