The All Whites will play a game against Canada in March.

The search for a new All Whites coach is one step closer to a conclusion, with a shortlist now formed.

NZ Football chief Andy Martin confirmed the development on Friday, the same day it was announced that the All Whites would play Canada in a friendly in Spain in March.

A panel of four will conduct interviews and decide on the new hire over the next few weeks. It will include Martin, national technical director Andreas Heraf, a member of the NZ Football board, and a member of High Performance Sport NZ's senior management team.

PHOTOSPORT NZ Football chief Andy Martin has confirmed a shortlist has been formed as part of the search for a new All Whites coach.

Martin said the search was "progressing well," and that the remaining candidates were all aware they would be expected to take the team for the Canada match, which will be played behind closed doors on March 24.

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"Like last time there was a huge number of applicants from all around the globe, and we've shortlisted down to where we believe we've got some options.

"All of them can deliver what we believe we want. Now it's going to be about getting down into some detail, some process and hearing more about them. That's the stage we're at right now."

Martin wouldn't be drawn on how many names were on the shortlist, or whether any domestic candidates remained in the running. He said NZ Football officials may travel overseas to meet with candidates if they needed to.

Heraf will be away in Spain coaching the Football Ferns during an international window that runs from February 26 to March 6, and while an appointment before then would be ideal, Martin was making no guarantees.

Players selected for the All Whites for the camp and match in Spain have to be notified by March 4, which looms as another key date in the process.

The new All Whites coach will have to work with two assistants who have already been appointed - national under-20 coach Des Buckingham and under-17 coach Jose Figueira.

Martin would not rule out the possibility of the new coach bringing in his own assistant, but said one wouldn't be needed if NZ Football got the type of person it wanted.

Heraf, a former Austrian international, looms as a key figure in the appointment process, with the international men's and women's programmes now firmly under his direction.

The All Whites' March friendly against Canada comes after they appointed former Football Ferns boss John Herdman as their new coach last month.

Like the All Whites, Canada missed out on a place in June's World Cup in Russia.

The match will be played behind closed doors at Pinatar Arena by mutual agreement.