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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually brought together his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a range of expectations. A lot were straightforward and direct – suitable considering the upheaval following his sudden appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mentality to secure, or keep that privilege. But there was another message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought more distinctly into perspective with every step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. So too have the results of his team changed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia feeling rather distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising brink of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November warm-up matches 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 regard.

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he began in the job assuming to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has grown. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough 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 reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have come in,” 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 come into that, and I’m sure there are others to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded among those circle can keep faith that, come June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 steadily, then the coach is emphasizing they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a end on that – to declare 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 one more player that joins 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 exceed expectations 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 unique 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 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 praising something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”