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As soon as Tony Popovic finally brought together his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach outlined a set of expectations. A lot were clear and to the point – ideal considering the upheaval around his sudden appointment, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mentality to earn, or maintain that honour. But there was an additional message. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought more distinctly into perspective with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity sharply contrasts with the open and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team changed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling rather remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game undefeated 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 edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently ranked 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the remaining games of European qualifying – are significant in this context.

Even though Popovic concedes that he began in the job assuming to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now believes the pool he can rely on has swelled. This is not only through the breakthrough of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely 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 get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m sure there are others to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the shift in mindset 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 hold out hope that, by June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 – continues to perform consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a halt on that – to reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more new faces,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s initial talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and exceed the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

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

“I keep saying 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 observing and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”