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When Tony Popovic at last assembled his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a range of requirements. A lot were straightforward and to the point – suitable considering the upheaval following his unexpected appointment, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aspired to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” mentality to deserve, or maintain that distinction. But there was another theme. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been brought clearer into perspective with each 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 remains the same.”

Approximately a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, appears really settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness differs greatly with the expansive and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team progressed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming rather far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising edge of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, presently 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 context.

While Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a main squad of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has grown. This doesn't only come through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely 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 truly have much apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have entered 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 surprising rise of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those ranks can keep faith that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 – persists 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 limit or a halt on that – to reveal 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 chance. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in 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 impress him, to do something outstanding and exceed the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors 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 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 cheering something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”