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When Tony Popovic at last assembled his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach outlined a range of requirements. A lot were unambiguous and to the point – perfect in light of the upheaval surrounding his unexpected arrival, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mentality to deserve, or keep that honour. But there was an additional theme. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into perspective with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, seems really at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for austerity stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Similarly have the results of his team progressed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming fairly far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s global tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, at the moment 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 – carry weight in this regard.

Even though Popovic concedes that he began in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now believes the pool he can trust has grown. This isn’t just through the emergence of talented youth 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 development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to push 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 fully have much beyond this. Just make it work 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 unexpected emergence of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those circle can hold out hope that, in 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 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 halt on that – to reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be another player that comes in in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and exceed the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“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 pat each other on the back for being there’.

“I emphasize 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 watching and cheering something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”