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

When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a range of standards. Most were straightforward and direct – perfect given the disruption following his sudden entry, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to prepare for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” attitude to deserve, or continue to earn that honour. But there was a further point. More an inspiration and more an evocation – and one that has been cast sharper into view with every step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions are the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. So too have the performances of his team changed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling fairly remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories 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 unexpected edge of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, at the moment 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 – loom large in this regard.

While Popovic concedes that he arrived in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now believes the group he can rely on has grown. This is not only through the breakthrough of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the shift in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those ranks can remain optimistic that, by 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 – persists to perform consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re in with a shot 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 new faces,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations 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 special is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine 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 a long way 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 remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”