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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a set of expectations. Most were clear and concise – ideal in light of the disruption around his abrupt arrival, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mindset to secure, or keep that privilege. But there was a further message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown clearer into focus with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals remain the same. The coach, for one, seems truly settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline differs greatly with the expansive and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team changed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling quite remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international 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 performance 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, presently positioned 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 regard.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job thinking to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now believes the selection 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 authentic international players. There are also the likes 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 make it work and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m sure there are additional ones to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected appearance of talent, and the change in outlook it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those circle can hold out hope that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 – continues to play consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a stop 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 know that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something outstanding and rise above 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 boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders 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 sitting back and cheering something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”