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

As soon as Tony Popovic finally brought together his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a set of requirements. Most were clear and to the point – suitable given the disruption surrounding his abrupt arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” mindset to secure, or continue to earn that honour. But there was another message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown clearer into view with any step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something special, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

Just over a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, seems truly settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness differs greatly with the open and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team changed, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing quite distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games 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 last games of European qualifying – loom large in this context.

Although Popovic admits that he began in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has grown. This is not only through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t fully have much apart from this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered 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 surprising appearance of talent, and the shift in outlook it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within 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 sit out a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to deliver steadily, then the coach is emphasizing they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a stop on that – to announce 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 chance. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something outstanding and exceed the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves 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 watching and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”