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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a set of requirements. The majority were straightforward and direct – ideal given the upheaval surrounding his sudden entry, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” mentality to secure, or maintain that honour. But there was an additional theme. More an inspiration and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought clearer into view with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something extraordinary, 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 evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, appears really comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent sit-downs with football media. So too have the results of his team progressed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming quite distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game undefeated 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 surprising brink of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November friendlies 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 final games of European qualifying – are significant in this context.

While Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job thinking to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now thinks the group he can trust has swelled. This isn’t just through the rise of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the transformation in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those group can hold out hope that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 deliver regularly, then the coach is making clear 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 inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be another player that comes in in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s initial talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and exceed the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be participants 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 deep 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 exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”