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When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his first Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a series of expectations. The majority were clear and direct – perfect in light of the disruption around his unexpected arrival, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” attitude to deserve, or keep that honour. But there was an additional message. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been brought sharper into view with each step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

“My expectations were to do something special, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, looks really comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team progressed, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run 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 unexpected precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November friendlies against Venezuela, currently 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 – are significant in this respect.

While Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job thinking to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has expanded. This doesn't only come through the rise of youngsters 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 obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m certain there are additional ones to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising rise of talent, and the shift in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those circle can hold out hope that, by 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 regularly, then the coach is emphasizing they’re every chance 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 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 comes in in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress 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 unique is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box 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 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 sitting back and cheering something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”