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

As soon as Tony Popovic at last assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a series of expectations. The majority were straightforward and direct – ideal considering the disruption following his abrupt appointment, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “top-tier” mentality to secure, or continue to earn that honour. But there was an additional point. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought sharper into perspective with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team progressed, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling rather distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising edge of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, presently positioned 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 – loom large in this respect.

Although Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now thinks the group he can call upon has grown. This doesn't only come through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This surprising rise of talent, and the change in mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those circle can keep faith that, in 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 perform consistently, then the coach is emphasizing they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a end on that – to reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” 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 expansion, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something outstanding and exceed the hopes 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 limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors 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 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 praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”