Having worked a minor miracle by qualifying the unheralded Philippines for the tournament, Stajcic still finds time to closely monitor the deeds of the team he led for four years.

And, outside of current coach Tony Gustavsson, he knows better than anybody what they’re capable of.

Speaking before his Philippines squad flew to New Zealand to finalise preparations for their Group A duel against Switzerland, Stajcic, 49, told FTBL: “I have no doubt the Matildas have enough talent in that group to win the World Cup.

“For me, they are one of the top two or three favourites to win the tournament. It looks like a perfect storm.

"You have a group of players who have been in that team for maybe 13 years, and the bulk of them have 110 to 120 caps.

“They’re around aged between 28-30 and you’re never again going to get a group of players of that age with so much experience and energy.

“Most of them have been to three or four World Cups and a couple of Olympic Games. Add the icing on the cake of being at home, plus featuring players who play in the top leagues and clubs in the world, and you have the recipe for something special.”

It was Stajcic who blooded so many of the Matildas stars, many in their mid teens, to help lay the bedrock for a potential first ever global triumph. Not that he’s taking any credit for it.

“There was a collective of people involved, and we also had the institute programs going,” he said.

“That helped build the foundation for the development of those players, so there was a pretty strong structure and framework for players like Caitlin Foord, Emily van Egmond, Kyah Simon, Sam Kerr and Steph Catley to be identified and fast tracked into the team at only 16.”

Asked if the Matildas lean too heavily on talismanic striker Sam Kerr, Stajcic begged to differ.

“Look, Sam gets a lot of attention and rightly so,” he added. “But there are so many good players in that team. Ellie (Carpenter) is at Lyonnais and is a world class right back. Steph Catley is a world class right back.

“And, in my view, Caitlin Foord has been Arsenal’s best player across the last six to nine months in the games I’ve watched. The same goes for international fixtures.

“So I don’t think they’re a one player show because they have so many weapons in the team, and that’s one of the reasons I think they’re going to be so dangerous.”

The Matildas' Group B opener against Republic of Ireland at Stadium Australia on July 20 is a sellout and the only scenario which would see them face the Stajcic's Philippines would be in the final.

“That would be a nice clash wouldn’t it,” chuckled the man who also led the Central Coast Mariners with distinction and is heavily tipped for a return to the A-League after the tournament.

It was Stajcic who also uncovered young guns like Mary Fowler and Kyra Cooney-Cross - the fresh new faces of the Matildas.

“I just think there’s a good balance there now and this is the perfect chance to put everything together with the whole nation behind them,” he added.