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As soon as Tony Popovic finally brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the fresh coach presented a range of requirements. A lot were straightforward and to the point – ideal in light of the turmoil around his sudden entry, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to prepare for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” attitude to earn, or maintain that privilege. But there was an additional theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought more distinctly into perspective with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something remarkable, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

Just over a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, seems really settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team progressed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming rather distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak 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 unlikely edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, presently 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 arrived in the job thinking to only be able to rely on a main squad of players, he now feels the selection he can call upon has swelled. This is not only through the breakthrough of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those ranks can hold out hope that, in 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 – persists to deliver regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a stop 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 feel that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something outstanding and exceed the expectations 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 confine 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 watching and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”