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As soon as Tony Popovic at last gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a series of requirements. A lot were straightforward and direct – ideal in light of the turmoil surrounding his sudden appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” mentality to deserve, or continue to earn that distinction. But there was a further message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought clearer into perspective with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team improved, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling rather distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run 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 surprising 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 last games of European qualifying – loom large in this context.

Although Popovic concedes that he began in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now feels the group he can call upon has grown. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough of young players 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 development into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m certain there are more to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those ranks can hold out hope that, in June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 perform steadily, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a end on that – to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

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

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” 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 keep saying it to the group: one day, Australia will go deep 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 applauding something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”