It'd be fair to say that for the vast majority of casual football fans in Australia, that would have been the question on their lips over the last month or so as the domestic football season attempted to crank into action.

The A-League found itself playing the role of ugly bridesmaid to the local codes as both the AFL and NRL put on headline grabbing final campaigns that filled stadiums and dominated TV ratings and column inches in the press.

It was the ugly frump in the ill-fitting taffeta gown trying to catch the eye whilst its rivals put on a catwalk strut that stopped the traffic. All of this was happening against a back-drop of financial instability in the A-League at club level and some old fashioned office politics at FFA HQ over the management of the local competition and the World Cup bid.

The cultural dominance of AFL and NRL was reinforced by the power of both games to capture the heart and soul of their respective heartlands. It was the only topic of conversation anywhere in Melbourne and Sydney and indeed beyond the city limits as well.

For any sport to mean anything it has to belong to the people. With their heart-stopping September campaigns, both the AFL and NRL can be comfortable that their future is secure because they are literally woven into the fabric of their communities.

Which makes you wonder why the AFL in particular takes such a hard and vindictive line when it comes to the world game. Provincial paranoia and the sheer pleasure of exercising power might be the answer, but it has nothing to fear from the rise of football. At least not as it stands.

The first Melbourne derby between Heart and Victory might give us a glimpse of a future we've been promised. A packed stadium, a passionate contest on the field, and local pride on display off it.

Meanwhile, Sydney hosts the Socceroos and Paraguay on Saturday night. Holger Osiek has been charged with the responsibility of consolidating the gains the national team has made over the last six years and nurturing the next generation to ensure that World Cup qualification heartache is a thing of the past. His squad for this match has a weary, familiar look to it. The truth is, he can only work with the tools he's been handed. A win at home in his first fixture in charge here in Australia might buy him a few credits that he is sure to need.

Also this week,  the Prime Minister Julia GIllard made a house call to FIFA boss Sepp Blatter this to try to win home over with a box of Tim Tams and a gold plated Akubra Hat (surely it's the last gift on the planet the emeperor of Zurich hasn't received yet from fawning suitors).

The World Cup bid is far from a sure thing.

And given that so much of the future of the game in this country had been invested in it, you can be sure that there are sleepless nights ahead for those that play, love and manage the game in this country.

It's all on the line in the next few months.

These are dangerous and exciting times for Australian football.