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The moment Tony Popovic finally gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a set of requirements. Most were unambiguous and to the point – suitable in light of the disruption surrounding his sudden appointment, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mentality to deserve, or keep that privilege. But there was another point. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast sharper into focus with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

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 goals stay the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely comfortable as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity differs greatly with the expansive and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become frequent 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 seeming quite remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected edge of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November friendlies against Venezuela, at the moment ranked 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 – are significant in this respect.

While Popovic admits that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has expanded. This doesn't only come through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to challenge Maty Ryan.

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

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered within those group can keep faith that, come 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 – keeps to perform 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 stop 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 possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us 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 exceed 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 box ourselves into ‘let’s be participants at the World Cup, and let’s go home and pat each other on the back for being there’.

“I repeat it to the group: one day, Australia will go a long way in the World Cup. And why not this group? Why do we have to wait two or three World Cups, when I’m sitting back and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”