🔗 Share this article

When Tony Popovic finally assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a range of requirements. The majority were clear and to the point – perfect considering the disruption following his unexpected arrival, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with less than three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” attitude to secure, or maintain that honour. But there was another point. More an inspiration and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought clearer into view with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. So too have the performances of his team progressed, with thoughts of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling fairly far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak 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 exhibition games 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 – carry weight in this context.

Although Popovic admits that he began in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now believes the group he can trust has swelled. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much beyond this. Just manage 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 outlook it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those ranks 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 – persists to play 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 restriction or a end on that – to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and go beyond the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I keep saying 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 watching and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”