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When Tony Popovic finally assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a set of requirements. The majority were unambiguous and to the point – suitable given the turmoil around his abrupt entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mindset to deserve, or continue to earn that honour. But there was an additional message. More an inspiration and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown clearer into focus with any 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 stays constant.”

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, seems really comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team improved, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming fairly remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, currently 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 – loom large in this regard.

While Popovic concedes that he started in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a main squad of players, he now believes the pool he can rely on has swelled. This isn’t just through the emergence of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s return from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally 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 beyond this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m certain there are more to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected appearance of talent, and the change in mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those group can remain optimistic that, come 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 regularly, 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 end on that – to declare in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be another player that comes in in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something outstanding and exceed the predictions 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 limits’,” 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 keep saying 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 restrictions? Why not do it now?”