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The moment Tony Popovic eventually brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a series of requirements. A lot were straightforward and direct – ideal considering the upheaval following his unexpected entry, following Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” attitude to earn, or keep that distinction. But there was another message. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown sharper into perspective with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My expectations were to do something extraordinary, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, looks really at home as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline sharply contrasts with the open and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Likewise have the results of his team changed, with thoughts of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing fairly distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently positioned 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 respect.

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he began in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now thinks the group he can call upon has expanded. This doesn't only come through the rise of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much beyond this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m convinced there are others 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 sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those group can remain optimistic that, by 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 – persists to deliver 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 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 believe that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be another player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something outstanding 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 confine 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 applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”