🔗 Share this article

As soon as Tony Popovic finally assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a set of expectations. Most were clear and concise – perfect in light of the upheaval around his abrupt entry, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” mentality to earn, or maintain that honour. But there was another point. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into focus with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions are the same. The coach, for one, looks truly settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular sit-downs with football media. So too have the performances of his team improved, with thoughts of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing quite distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only snapped 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 results 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 – carry weight in this respect.

While Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now believes the selection he can call upon has grown. This doesn't only come through the rise of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s return from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the potential to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much apart from 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 others to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected rise of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those circle can remain optimistic that, come June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 – continues to deliver consistently, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a halt on that – to declare in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and go beyond the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

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