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When Tony Popovic finally assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a set of expectations. Most were clear and to the point – suitable given the disruption around his unexpected entry, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mentality to deserve, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was another point. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought clearer into perspective with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, appears really settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for austerity sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. So too have the performances of his team improved, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia feeling quite distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those triumphs 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected edge of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently 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 arrived in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now thinks the group he can trust has expanded. This doesn't only come through the rise of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s return from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally 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 beyond this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m certain there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the shift in mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those group can keep faith that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 deliver steadily, then the coach is emphasizing they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a halt on that – to announce 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 chance. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something remarkable and rise above the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate 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 observing and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”