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The moment Tony Popovic finally assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a series of standards. A lot were straightforward and concise – ideal given the turmoil around his sudden arrival, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with less than three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” mindset to deserve, or keep that distinction. But there was an additional message. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought sharper into focus with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something special, in my first talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, looks truly settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s image for austerity differs greatly with the approachable and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team changed, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing rather remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those triumphs 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 momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, at the moment ranked 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 – carry weight in this context.

While Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now feels the pool he can call upon has grown. This is not only through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s return from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much beyond this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m convinced there are additional ones to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising rise of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those group can hold out hope that, come June next year, they could be on the plane. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to sit out 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 in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a stop 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 believe that they have an chance. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, returns us 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 exceed 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 pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors 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 a long way 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 cheering something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”