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The moment Tony Popovic finally brought together his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a set of expectations. The majority were unambiguous and concise – suitable considering the disruption around his sudden arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mindset to earn, or maintain that privilege. But there was another theme. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown clearer into focus with each step taken on the road 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.”

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity differs greatly with the approachable and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent sit-downs with football media. So too have the results of his team changed, with thoughts 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 worldwide tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, presently positioned 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the last games of European qualifying – carry weight in this regard.

Although Popovic admits that he started in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now feels the group he can trust has swelled. This doesn't only come through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s attainable with players that have entered,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t fully have much outside of this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m sure there are more to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those group can keep faith that, come 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 – persists to deliver consistently, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a stop 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 possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something remarkable and rise above the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine 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 emphasize 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 watching and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”