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When Tony Popovic at last assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a series of requirements. A lot were straightforward and direct – ideal given the upheaval surrounding his abrupt entry, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” mindset to secure, or keep that honour. But there was an additional message. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown clearer into perspective with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, seems truly comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. So too have the results of his team progressed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing quite far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning streak 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 surprising edge of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, currently 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 – carry weight in this respect.

Although Popovic admits that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has expanded. This is not only through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s return from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

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

This surprising appearance of talent, and the change in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those ranks can keep faith that, come June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 stating plainly they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a stop on that – to declare in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an chance. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s initial talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something special and exceed the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole 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 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 cheering something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”