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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a set of expectations. Most were clear and concise – perfect considering the upheaval surrounding his abrupt arrival, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mindset to deserve, or continue to earn that honour. But there was a further point. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast sharper into perspective with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something special, in my introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

Approximately a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness sharply contrasts with the open and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. So too have the performances of his team changed, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing fairly far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak 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 unlikely brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently 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 – are significant in this context.

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job thinking to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now thinks the selection he can trust has grown. This doesn't only come through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide 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 outside of this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m sure there are others to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the shift in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those circle can hold out hope that, by 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 regularly, then the coach is stating plainly they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a halt on that – to declare 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 broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and go beyond 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 limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I keep saying it to the group: one day, Australia will go deep 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 limits? Why not do it now?”