Australia go into the World Cup with a very different feel around them. Tony Popovic has taken them to direct qualification for the first time since 2014, and they finished the qualifying campaign unbeaten in their final eight matches. That run included seven wins and a draw, which is a clean enough response to an uneven start.
How Popovic changed the picture
The turnaround matters because it came after a defeat and a draw in the opening two qualifying games. From there, Australia looked far more controlled, and the results followed. Seven wins and a draw from the final eight qualifiers is the clearest sign that the reset under Popovic had real substance.
The picture is not just about results either. The BBC piece describes Australia as organised, resilient, hard to break down, and that fits the run they put together. They avoided the play-offs and booked the fastest route to this summer's tournament.
A younger squad still has some continuity
The other part of the story is the squad mix. Australia are blending 12 players aged 25 and under with nine survivors from the 2022 World Cup, so this is not a wholesale rebuild. It looks more like a new cycle with some old reference points still in place.
That balance shows up in a few individual cases. Jordan Bos has scored three goals in his past four caps for Australia, Nestory Irankunda has already shown his threat from a swerving 25-yard set-piece for Watford, and R. McGree remains part of the continuity group.
The group stage will still ask serious questions. Australia face Türkiye on 14 June, the USA on 19 June and Paraguay on 26 June, and the USA meeting may get framed as a grudge match by some. That angle has some pull, but it should not drown out the main story, which is a team that has arrived with momentum rather than panic.
If Popovic's run gives Australia a platform, the opening test is whether that form holds when the tournament starts on 14 June against Türkiye.
Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →