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When Tony Popovic at last brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a series of standards. Most were clear and to the point – suitable given the turmoil around his abrupt entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to prepare for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” attitude to secure, or continue to earn that distinction. But there was an additional message. More an inspiration and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown sharper into perspective with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something remarkable, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, looks really at home as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. So too have the performances of his team changed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming quite far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The results 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 – carry weight in this context.

Although Popovic concedes that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a key players of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has grown. This is not only through the breakthrough of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the potential to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have joined,” 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 think like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m convinced there are others to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the shift in mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded among those ranks can remain optimistic that, come June next year, they could be on the plane. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to sit out a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – keeps to perform consistently, then the coach is emphasizing they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a stop on that – to declare in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be another player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something special and exceed the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

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

“I keep saying 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 sitting back and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”