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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the fresh coach presented a set of requirements. The majority were unambiguous and to the point – ideal considering the upheaval around his unexpected appointment, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mentality to secure, or keep that privilege. But there was a further theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown clearer into focus with every step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something extraordinary, in my first talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

Approximately a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, looks truly settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team progressed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing rather remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run 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 brink of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, at the moment placed 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 – loom large in this respect.

Even though Popovic concedes that he began in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has swelled. This isn’t just through the breakthrough 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 comeback from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have entered,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m sure there are others to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising appearance of talent, and the shift in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those circle can keep faith that, come 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 deliver 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 stop on that – to declare in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to believe that they have an chance. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up 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 impress him, to do something remarkable and rise above 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 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 sitting back and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”