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When Tony Popovic eventually assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach presented a series of expectations. A lot were straightforward and to the point – suitable given the upheaval following his sudden appointment, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” attitude to earn, or continue to earn that honour. But there was a further theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast more distinctly into view with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something remarkable, in my first talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

Approximately a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. Likewise have the performances of his team improved, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing quite remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, currently placed 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the final games of European qualifying – loom large in this context.

Even though Popovic admits that he began in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now believes the pool he can rely on has swelled. This is not only through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s attainable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much apart from this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m convinced there are more to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those group can keep faith that, come June next year, they could be on the roster. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to miss a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to play steadily, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a halt on that – to reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more new faces,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to believe that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and rise above the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves for being there’.

“I emphasize it to the group: one day, Australia will go very far in the World Cup. And why not this group? Why do we have to wait two or three World Cups, when I’m watching and cheering something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”