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As soon as Tony Popovic finally brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a series of requirements. Most were clear and concise – suitable in light of the turmoil around his sudden arrival, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mentality to deserve, or keep that distinction. But there was another point. More an inspiration and more an evocation – and one that has been cast more distinctly into perspective with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, appears truly at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline differs greatly with the open and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. Likewise have the results of his team progressed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming rather distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s global tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning streak under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, currently ranked 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 – are significant in this regard.

Even though Popovic admits that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has grown. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable 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 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 trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the shift in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded among those group 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 – keeps to play regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a halt on that – to reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s initial talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress 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 exceptional 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 emphasize it to the group: one day, Australia will go deep 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 applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”