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The moment Tony Popovic finally assembled his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a set of requirements. A lot were straightforward and concise – suitable in light of the upheaval around his abrupt arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” mentality to secure, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was an additional point. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been cast clearer into perspective with each 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 stays constant.”

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, looks truly settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team changed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming quite distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game undefeated 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 unexpected precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, at the moment 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.

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job thinking to only be able to rely on a main squad of players, he now believes the pool he can trust has swelled. This doesn't only come through the rise 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 blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much apart from this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered 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 rise of talent, and the shift in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those ranks can hold out hope that, by June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 – keeps to perform consistently, 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 halt on that – to announce 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 opportunity. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something special and rise above the expectations 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 competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves for being there’.

“I keep saying 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 watching and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”