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When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a set of requirements. The majority were straightforward and direct – suitable considering the turmoil following his abrupt entry, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” mentality to secure, or maintain that privilege. But there was a further theme. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast clearer into focus with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, looks really comfortable as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team progressed, with thoughts of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling quite distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s worldwide 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The results 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 – loom large in this respect.

While Popovic admits that he started in the job thinking to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now believes the group he can call upon has expanded. This is not only 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 comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This surprising rise of talent, and the change in outlook it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those ranks can hold out hope that, by 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 perform steadily, then the coach is emphasizing they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a end 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 believe that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be another player that comes in in June?”

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

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

“I emphasize 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 applauding something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”