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The moment Tony Popovic finally gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a set of requirements. The majority were clear and direct – ideal in light of the upheaval surrounding his abrupt appointment, following Graham Arnold’s departure, and with less than three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” attitude to deserve, or keep that privilege. But there was another point. More an inspiration and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast clearer into perspective with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, looks truly comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness differs greatly with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become frequent sit-downs with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team progressed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming fairly distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning 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 unexpected brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently ranked 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the final games of European qualifying – loom large in this respect.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now believes the pool he can call upon has expanded. This doesn't only come through the rise of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely 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 fully have much apart from this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m sure there are more to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected rise of talent, and the change in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those group can remain optimistic that, in June next year, they could be on the flight. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to miss a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – keeps to play regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a stop on that – to reveal 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 opportunity. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something special and rise above the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something special 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 pat each other on the back for being there’.

“I emphasize 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 observing and praising something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”