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When Tony Popovic finally brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a series of expectations. The majority were clear and to the point – suitable considering the disruption following his sudden appointment, following Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” attitude to earn, or keep that privilege. But there was another theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast more distinctly into view with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My expectations were to do something extraordinary, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

Approximately a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent discussions with football media. Likewise have the performances of his team changed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming rather distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run 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 surprising edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November friendlies against Venezuela, presently placed 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 respect.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now thinks the group he can trust has grown. This is not only through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely 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 truly have much apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m convinced there are additional ones to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising rise of talent, and the shift in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those ranks can keep faith that, in June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 perform consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a halt 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 possibility. Why can’t there be another player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something special and go beyond the expectations 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 box ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and pat each other on the back 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 watching and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”