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When Tony Popovic eventually assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a set of standards. A lot were clear and to the point – ideal given the turmoil following his abrupt arrival, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” mindset to deserve, or maintain that distinction. But there was another message. More an inspiration and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into perspective with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes 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 meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely comfortable as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s image 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 interviews with football media. Likewise have the results of his team progressed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing fairly far off after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs 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 unexpected precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, at the moment placed 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the remaining games of European qualifying – loom large in this context.

While Popovic concedes that he started in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has swelled. This isn’t just through the rise 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 sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the shift in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those group can remain optimistic that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to sit out a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – keeps to deliver consistently, then the coach is making clear they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a stop on that – to reveal 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 an additional player that comes in in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads 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 hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I keep saying it to the group: one day, Australia will go very far 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?”