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When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a series of requirements. Most were clear and direct – suitable given the disruption following his abrupt appointment, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” mentality to earn, or maintain that distinction. But there was an additional point. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast more distinctly into view with each 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 remains the same.”

A little more than a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely comfortable as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Likewise have the results of his team changed, with thoughts of a loss to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming quite far off after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning streak 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 entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances 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 final games of European qualifying – loom large in this regard.

While Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now believes the group he can call upon has swelled. This is not only through the rise of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s possible 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 make it work and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m sure there are additional ones to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the change in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded among those ranks can keep faith that, in June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 – continues to perform regularly, then the coach is emphasizing they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a halt on that – to announce 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 broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something special 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 boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves for being there’.

“I keep saying 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 remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”