{‘Why do we have to wait?’: Popovic places no boundaries on what the Socceroos can attain.

When Tony Popovic finally brought together his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a series of standards. The majority were straightforward and to the point – suitable in light of the upheaval around his sudden arrival, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” mentality to secure, or continue to earn that honour. But there was a further point. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown clearer into focus with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, seems truly comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity differs greatly with the open and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent discussions with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team improved, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing rather far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ place 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 unlikely precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November friendlies against Venezuela, currently placed 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 – carry weight in this regard.

While Popovic concedes that he began in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now believes the group he can rely on has swelled. This is not only through the rise of young players 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 blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have entered,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much beyond this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I believe 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 rise of talent, and the shift in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those group can keep faith that, by June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 deliver regularly, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely 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 another player that steps up 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 surprise him, to do something remarkable and exceed the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be participants at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves for being there’.

“I repeat 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 observing and cheering something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”