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The moment Tony Popovic at last brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a series of requirements. A lot were straightforward and to the point – ideal considering the disruption following his sudden entry, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mindset to secure, or maintain that privilege. But there was another message. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown clearer into view with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, looks truly comfortable as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness stands in stark contrast with the open and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team progressed, with thoughts of a loss to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing quite remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only snapped 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 friendlies against Venezuela, at the moment 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.

Although Popovic admits that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now thinks the selection he can trust has grown. This doesn't only come through the rise of youngsters 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 wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely 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 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 sure there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen rise of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those ranks can hold out hope that, by 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 – continues to play consistently, 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 cap or a halt on that – to announce 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 believe that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads 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 remarkable and rise above the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” 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 deep 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 exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”