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When Tony Popovic finally assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a set of expectations. A lot were clear and concise – ideal considering the disruption around his unexpected entry, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mentality to earn, or keep that distinction. But there was a further point. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast sharper into focus with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team changed, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming rather distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning 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 unlikely precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games 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 final games of European qualifying – loom large in this regard.

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he began in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now believes the selection he can rely on has grown. This isn’t just through the rise of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much outside of this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m certain there are additional ones to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the shift in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded among those ranks can keep faith 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 – continues to perform regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely 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 feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something remarkable and go beyond the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box 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 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 observing and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”