When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a set of expectations. A lot were clear and direct – ideal considering the upheaval surrounding his sudden appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.
Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” attitude to earn, or maintain that privilege. But there was another theme. More an inspiration and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown clearer into view with any step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.
“My expectations were to do something special, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”
A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness differs greatly with the open and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. So too have the performances of his team progressed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming quite remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.
Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game winning streak 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 unlikely precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, at the moment placed 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the remaining games of European qualifying – are significant in this regard.
Even though Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now thinks the group he can call upon has expanded. This isn’t just through the rise of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the sidelines 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 possible with players that have entered,” 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 believe like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m certain there are additional ones to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”
This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the change in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded 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 be absent for a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to play regularly, 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 halt 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 possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in in June?”
But this growth, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise 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 special is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and pat each other on the back for being there’.
“I repeat 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 sitting back and cheering something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”
