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As soon as Tony Popovic at last gathered his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a set of standards. A lot were straightforward and concise – ideal considering the disruption following his unexpected appointment, following Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” mentality to deserve, or keep that distinction. But there was a further theme. Less a demand 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 hasn’t changed.”

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, seems really settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline differs greatly with the approachable and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. So too have the results of his team improved, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming fairly remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those wins 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 momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently ranked 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 context.

While Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now thinks the pool he can call upon has expanded. This is not only through the rise of young players 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 obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unexpected rise of talent, and the transformation in outlook it has brought about in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those ranks can remain optimistic 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 – persists to perform steadily, then the coach is making clear 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 believe that they have an chance. Why can’t there be another player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and exceed 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 boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be participants 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 praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”