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The moment Tony Popovic at last gathered his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a range of expectations. Most were straightforward and concise – suitable given the turmoil surrounding his abrupt appointment, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” attitude to secure, or continue to earn that honour. But there was an additional theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast sharper into perspective with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes 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, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, looks truly at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. Likewise have the performances of his team progressed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming fairly far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game winning streak 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 crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results 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 remaining games of European qualifying – carry weight in this respect.

Although Popovic concedes that he began in the job expecting to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now believes the pool he can trust has swelled. This is not only through the breakthrough of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s return from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely 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 make it work and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m convinced there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the shift in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those circle can hold out hope that, by June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 play regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a halt on that – to declare in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more new faces,” 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, returns us to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and exceed the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders 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 deep 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?”