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When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a range of standards. Most were unambiguous and to the point – perfect considering the disruption following his abrupt appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” mentality to secure, or continue to earn that honour. But there was another message. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought clearer into perspective with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, seems really comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for austerity stands in stark contrast with the open and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. So too have the results of his team progressed, with thoughts of a setback to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming rather distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins 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 unexpected edge of crashing 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 – carry weight in this respect.

While Popovic admits that he started in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now feels the group he can call upon has grown. This doesn't only come through the emergence 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 comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those ranks can hold out hope that, come June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 play regularly, then the coach is stating plainly they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a stop on that – to declare 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 chance. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special 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 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 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 watching and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”