In a sign their opposition to Football Federation Australia's expansion process may be dropping, the owners of the existing 10 clubs have been granted permission to review the final submissions handed in by the eight remaining contenders.

They will also be given access to the online 'data room' which contains financial and demographic information relating to expansion of the A-League.

The two successful bids will enter an expanded 12-team competition in season 2019-20.

While the FFA board will still wield the power to make the final selection on its own, the fact that the A-League clubs are now eager to weigh in on the matter represents the removal of a significant roadblock.

Several owners have been open in the past about their disapproval of the expansion process set out by the FFA and its consultants Deloitte.

With regime change likely at the FFA over the coming weeks, there was also the vague threat that a new board could potentially reverse any decisions made by the current board around expansion, or that it could be delayed by a season.

It now appears expansion will go ahead as originally planned, with an announcement due to be made on October 31.

That would give the two new clubs just under 12 months to prepare for their debut A-League campaigns.

It's anticipated the new entrants will come from Sydney and Melbourne, although there are rumours Canberra are emerging as a dark horses.

To what extent the involvement of the A-League clubs will change things remains to be seen, but Sydney FC have previously made it clear they are vehemently against Chinese-backed Southern Expansion, which they say encroaches on their 'heartland' in the city's southern reaches.

Their crosstown rivals, Western Sydney, are believed to have taken a similar view in private about the Macarthur South-West Sydney bid - although the Wanderers have made no public statements about expansion as yet.

In contrast, Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro gave a ringing endorsement in May of the Dandenong-based Team 11 consortium, whose success hinges on funding from the Victorian state government for a new stadium.

The other contenders are the Western Melbourne Group, South Melbourne, Ipswich Pride and Wollongong Wolves.