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When Tony Popovic at last brought together his first Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a range of standards. A lot were clear and direct – suitable given the upheaval following his unexpected arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” attitude to secure, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was another theme. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought sharper into view with any step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals remain the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness stands in stark contrast with the open and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team changed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing quite distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November friendlies against Venezuela, at the moment ranked 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.

Although Popovic admits that he started in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a key players of players, he now thinks the group he can rely on has grown. This isn’t just through the breakthrough of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the transformation in outlook it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those ranks can hold out hope that, come 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 deliver regularly, 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 restriction 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 believe that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and exceed the hopes 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 boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and pat each other on the back for being there’.

“I repeat it to the group: one day, Australia will go a long way 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 special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”