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When Tony Popovic eventually brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a set of expectations. The majority were straightforward and to the point – ideal given the upheaval surrounding his unexpected appointment, following Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aimed to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mentality to secure, or keep that honour. But there was another message. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been brought more distinctly into view with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions are the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team progressed, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia feeling rather remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning streak under Popovic, one that was only snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, at the moment 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.

Although Popovic concedes that he started in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now feels the selection he can rely on has swelled. 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 cases of Miloš Degenek’s return from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s development into a true 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 come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t fully have much outside of this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m certain there are others to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the shift in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those circle can hold out hope that, in 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 – continues to perform steadily, then the coach is emphasizing they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a end on that – to announce 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 opportunity. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and exceed the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be participants 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 sitting back and praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”