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When Tony Popovic at last assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a set of requirements. Most were clear and concise – suitable in light of the turmoil following his unexpected entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” mentality to deserve, or maintain that honour. But there was another theme. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been cast sharper into perspective with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, seems truly settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness sharply contrasts with the open and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Likewise have the performances of his team progressed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming quite distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s global 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 momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently 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.

While Popovic concedes that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has swelled. This doesn't only come through the rise 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 comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely 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 outside of this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m sure there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen rise of talent, and the change in outlook it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those ranks can keep faith that, in 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 – persists to play steadily, 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 end 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 chance. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something outstanding and exceed the hopes 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 confine 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 emphasize it to the group: one day, Australia will go very far 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 praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”