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The moment Tony Popovic at last brought together his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a range of requirements. Most were clear and concise – suitable given the turmoil around his abrupt arrival, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “top-tier” mentality to secure, or maintain that distinction. But there was a further theme. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast clearer into view with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline differs greatly with the open and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. So too have the performances of his team progressed, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing rather far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November friendlies 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 final games of European qualifying – loom large in this respect.

Even though Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a key players of players, he now thinks the selection he can call upon has expanded. This is not only through the breakthrough of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s return from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely 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 really have much beyond this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m certain there are additional ones to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the change in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those circle can hold out hope that, in June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 steadily, 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 declare 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 know that they have an chance. Why can’t there be another player that joins in June?”

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

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors 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 cheering something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”