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When Tony Popovic eventually brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a range of expectations. A lot were unambiguous and direct – ideal given the upheaval surrounding his sudden entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” attitude to deserve, or maintain that distinction. But there was an additional message. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been cast more distinctly into view with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline differs greatly with the expansive and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. Likewise have the results of his team improved, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling fairly distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those wins 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 momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November friendlies 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 remaining games of European qualifying – are significant in this respect.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now thinks the pool he can call upon has swelled. This isn’t just 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 comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unexpected rise of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered within those circle can remain optimistic that, in 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 – persists to deliver consistently, then the coach is making clear they’re in with a shot 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 additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an chance. Why can’t there be one more player that comes in in June?”

But this growth, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s introductory address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and rise above the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” 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 special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”