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As soon as Tony Popovic finally brought together his first Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a range of expectations. Most were straightforward and direct – ideal given the turmoil surrounding his sudden arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mentality to deserve, or keep that privilege. But there was an additional message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown sharper into focus with each step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, looks truly settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular sit-downs with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team progressed, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia feeling rather remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories 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 surprising brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, presently placed 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 – carry weight in this respect.

While Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now believes the selection he can trust 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 return from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development 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 apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m sure there are others to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising rise of talent, and the transformation in outlook it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those ranks can keep faith that, in June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 deliver consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a end 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 believe that they have an chance. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

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

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” 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 emphasize it to the group: one day, Australia will go a long way 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 special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”