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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a series of standards. The majority were straightforward and concise – perfect considering the turmoil surrounding his abrupt entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” attitude to earn, or maintain that honour. But there was an additional message. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown sharper into perspective with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions are the same. The coach, for one, appears really settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular sit-downs with football media. Likewise have the results of his team progressed, with thoughts of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game winning streak under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November exhibition games 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 – carry weight in this regard.

While Popovic admits that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a main squad of players, he now believes the group he can call upon has swelled. This is not only through the breakthrough of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential 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 truly have much beyond this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m sure there are more to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the change in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those ranks can hold out hope 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 – continues to perform regularly, then the coach is making clear 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 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 chance. Why can’t there be another player that comes in 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 impress him, to do something remarkable and go beyond the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and pat each other on the back for being there’.

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