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When Tony Popovic at last assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a set of standards. A lot were unambiguous and concise – ideal given the upheaval around his unexpected appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mentality to earn, or maintain that distinction. But there was another point. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been cast sharper into view with any 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 remains the same.”

Just over a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular sit-downs with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team progressed, with thoughts of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming fairly remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected brink of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, at the moment 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 – loom large in this context.

Even though Popovic concedes that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now believes the pool he can call upon has grown. This is not only through the rise of young players 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 wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability 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 really have much outside of 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 certain there are more to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising appearance of talent, and the change in outlook it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those ranks can remain optimistic that, come June next year, they could be on the plane. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to miss a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to perform consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely 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 believe 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 speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and go beyond the expectations 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 emphasize 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 exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”