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When Tony Popovic eventually brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a set of standards. A lot were unambiguous and concise – perfect given the turmoil following his unexpected appointment, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” attitude to deserve, or keep that honour. But there was an additional theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought clearer into view with any step taken on the journey 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 meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, appears truly comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline sharply contrasts with the open and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent discussions with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team progressed, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia feeling quite distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game winning streak under Popovic, one that was only snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November friendlies against Venezuela, currently positioned 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the last games of European qualifying – carry weight in this respect.

Even though Popovic concedes that he arrived in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now believes the pool he can rely on has grown. This is not only through the rise of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

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

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those ranks can remain optimistic that, come June next year, they could be on the flight. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to be absent for a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to play steadily, then the coach is emphasizing they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap 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, brings us back to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and rise above 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 pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be participants 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 watching and praising something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”