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The moment Tony Popovic finally gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a set of requirements. The majority were straightforward and to the point – suitable in light of the disruption surrounding his sudden entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to prepare for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” mindset to earn, or keep that honour. But there was an additional message. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast clearer into view with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness sharply contrasts with the open and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team improved, with thoughts of a loss to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming rather distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November friendlies 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.

Although Popovic admits that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has expanded. This doesn't only come through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s attainable 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 make it work and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m convinced there are additional ones to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen rise of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those ranks can keep faith that, in June next year, they could be on the plane. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to miss a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – keeps to perform regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a stop 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 know that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first talk 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 philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be participants 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 cheering something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”