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When Tony Popovic finally brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a set of standards. A lot were straightforward and concise – ideal given the disruption following his abrupt appointment, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” attitude to secure, or maintain that distinction. But there was another point. More an inspiration and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into focus with each step taken on the path 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 meeting in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline differs greatly with the open and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team changed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing quite distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice 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 last games of European qualifying – loom large in this respect.

Although Popovic admits that he began in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now feels the group he can trust has swelled. This doesn't only come through the emergence of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance 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 achievable with players that have come in,” 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 certain there are others to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered within those ranks can hold out hope that, come June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction 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 believe that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and exceed the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” 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 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 applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”