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When Tony Popovic finally assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a set of expectations. A lot were clear and to the point – perfect given the disruption around his sudden appointment, following Graham Arnold’s departure, and with less than three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mentality to deserve, or keep that distinction. But there was another point. More an inspiration and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown sharper into perspective with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely at home as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times light-hearted figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team changed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing quite distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game undefeated 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 surprising brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently 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.

Although Popovic concedes that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now thinks the selection he can trust has swelled. This isn’t just 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 sidelines and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s attainable 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 get by and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m certain there are more to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen rise of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered within those circle can keep faith that, by June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 deliver consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a halt 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 expansion, in a way, leads 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 remarkable and go beyond the expectations 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 participants 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 observing and cheering something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”