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As soon as Tony Popovic at last brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the fresh coach outlined a series of standards. Most were straightforward and to the point – suitable in light of the disruption around his unexpected entry, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to prepare for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

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

“My visions were to do something remarkable, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, appears truly comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline differs greatly with the approachable and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular sit-downs with football media. So too have the results of his team changed, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia feeling fairly distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely edge of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, at the moment placed 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.

While Popovic admits that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now believes the pool he can rely on has expanded. This isn’t just through the rise of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have entered,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much apart from this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have entered 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 brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those group can hold out hope 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 – persists to deliver consistently, 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 halt on that – to announce 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 another player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, 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 exceed the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine 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 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 restrictions? Why not do it now?”