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The moment Tony Popovic at last brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a range of requirements. A lot were clear and to the point – perfect in light of the disruption around his abrupt entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to prepare for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” attitude to secure, or keep that distinction. But there was another point. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into view with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My expectations were to do something special, in my first talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions are the same. The coach, for one, seems really comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity stands in stark contrast with the open and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team progressed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently 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 respect.

While Popovic admits that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now thinks the pool he can call upon has swelled. This isn’t just through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the likes 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 entirely 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 really have much beyond this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered 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 unexpected emergence of talent, and the change in mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those circle 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 – continues to play consistently, then the coach is emphasizing they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a end on that – to reveal 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 opportunity. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and exceed the predictions 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 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 congratulate ourselves for being there’.

“I repeat 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 watching and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”