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When Tony Popovic eventually assembled his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach presented a range of standards. A lot were clear and direct – ideal given the upheaval surrounding his sudden arrival, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “top-tier” mindset to deserve, or maintain that distinction. But there was another point. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into focus with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, looks really settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline stands in stark contrast with the open and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. So too have the performances of his team changed, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming fairly far off after victories 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 snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of breaking into 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 – are significant in this context.

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he began in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has expanded. This is not only through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s return from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

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

This surprising emergence of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those group can remain optimistic that, by June next year, they could be on the roster. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to be absent for a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – keeps to play 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 reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know that they have an chance. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and go beyond the hopes 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 boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves 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 observing and cheering something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”