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The moment Tony Popovic finally assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a range of requirements. The majority were straightforward and to the point – ideal considering the upheaval following his unexpected arrival, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” attitude to secure, or maintain that privilege. But there was an additional theme. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast clearer into focus with every 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 remains the same.”

Approximately a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, appears truly comfortable as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity stands in stark contrast with the open and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. So too have the results of his team changed, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s worldwide 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently placed 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 – loom large in this context.

Even though Popovic concedes that he started in the job thinking to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has swelled. This doesn't only come through the emergence of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the shift in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those circle can remain optimistic 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 regularly, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely 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 new faces,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in 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 surprise him, to do something outstanding and go beyond the hopes 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 restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box 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 watching and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”