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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually brought together his first Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a set of requirements. A lot were clear and concise – perfect considering the turmoil around his sudden entry, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” attitude to earn, or keep that privilege. But there was a further point. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought sharper into perspective with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something special, in my introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

Approximately a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, seems really at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness sharply contrasts with the open and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. So too have the results of his team improved, with thoughts of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling fairly remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning streak under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising brink 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 remaining games of European qualifying – loom large in this respect.

While Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job assuming to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now feels the pool he can call upon has expanded. This doesn't only come through the rise of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

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

This unexpected appearance of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those circle can remain optimistic 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 – continues to play consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely 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 know that they have an chance. Why can’t there be another player that comes in in June?”

But this expansion, 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 special and go beyond the hopes 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 limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors 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 cheering something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”