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When Tony Popovic at last brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a range of standards. A lot were clear and to the point – perfect considering the upheaval surrounding his abrupt arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure, and with less than three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aimed to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mentality to secure, or continue to earn that honour. But there was another point. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast sharper into perspective with each step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something extraordinary, in my first talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline differs greatly with the approachable and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team improved, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming fairly remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently ranked 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 respect.

While Popovic concedes that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now believes the group he can rely on has expanded. This isn’t just through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This surprising emergence of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those group can keep faith that, by June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a halt on that – to announce 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 know that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and go beyond the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

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

“I repeat 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 observing and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”