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The moment Tony Popovic at last gathered his first Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a series of standards. Most were clear and to the point – perfect given the turmoil around his unexpected entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” mentality to earn, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was another message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast sharper into focus with every step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something extraordinary, in my introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

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 truly at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team improved, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing rather remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those triumphs 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances 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 context.

Even though Popovic admits that he began in the job thinking to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now believes the group he can rely on has grown. 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 wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

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

This surprising appearance of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those group can keep faith that, in June next year, they could be on the flight. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to be absent for 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 restriction or a end 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 know that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something outstanding 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 pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate 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 watching and applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”