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When Tony Popovic at last gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a range of requirements. A lot were clear and to the point – ideal in light of the disruption around his sudden arrival, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” attitude to secure, or keep that distinction. But there was another point. More an inspiration and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought sharper into view with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something remarkable, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions are the same. The coach, for one, looks truly at home as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline differs greatly with the open and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent discussions with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team changed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling quite remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only ended 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 results of November friendlies 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 remaining games of European qualifying – carry weight in this regard.

While Popovic admits that he began in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has swelled. This doesn't only come through the emergence of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s return from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the ability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally 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 fully have much outside of this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have joined 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 emergence of talent, and the change in outlook it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those group can keep faith that, by 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 perform consistently, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a stop on that – to reveal 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 possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that comes in in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and go beyond the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I repeat 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 observing and praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”