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The moment Tony Popovic eventually gathered his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a set of expectations. A lot were clear and concise – perfect in light of the disruption following his unexpected appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready 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 earn, or maintain that distinction. But there was another message. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown sharper into focus with any step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, looks truly at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for austerity stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team improved, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing rather distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international 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 unlikely brink of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November exhibition games 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 – carry weight in this context.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now thinks the selection he can trust has expanded. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have entered,” 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 come into that, and I’m certain there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected appearance of talent, and the shift in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded among those group can remain optimistic that, in 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 – keeps to play regularly, then the coach is emphasizing 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 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 steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something outstanding and go beyond the predictions 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 restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors 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?”