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The moment Tony Popovic eventually gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a set of requirements. Most were straightforward and concise – perfect given the disruption around his unexpected appointment, following Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” attitude to secure, or keep that honour. But there was another theme. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought sharper into focus with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions are the same. The coach, for one, looks truly comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent sit-downs with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team progressed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling fairly remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth 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 precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently ranked 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 – are significant in this regard.

While Popovic concedes that he began in the job assuming to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now believes the group he can call upon has grown. This isn’t just through the rise of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the shift in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those group can remain optimistic that, come June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 – persists to perform consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a halt on that – to declare 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 chance. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something outstanding and rise above the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves 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 sitting back and applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”