'We can advance further than any Socceroos team in the past,' says Irvine

The Socceroos have consistently secured their place at football's premier event, featuring in the last six tournaments and advancing to the round of 16 for a second occasion in Qatar four years ago.

Despite a shortage of elite talent, they set a new benchmark in Qatar under former manager Graham Arnold, winning several matches for the first time after narrowly qualifying through an intercontinental play-off.

Thanks to the expansion to 48 teams, qualification for the North America World Cup was fairly straightforward under Tony Popovic, giving the coaching staff abundant time to prepare.

Home supporters are optimistic, yet Australia are placed in a difficult group with co-hosts the United States, a resurgent Turkey, and 2010 quarter-finalists Paraguay.

Popovic's squad is not any better equipped with top-tier players than Arnold's, but it exudes a comparable confidence.

"We are not simply hoping; we genuinely believe we can go further than any previous Socceroos team," veteran midfielder Jackson Irvine told Reuters.

Since taking over from Arnold in the middle of the World Cup qualifying cycle, Popovic has cast his net widely in search of talent.

While leaning on experienced players like goalkeeper Mat Ryan, his squad includes many World Cup debutants and emerging talents such as full-back Jordan Bos and winger Nestory Irankunda.

A recent addition to the squad was former Italy Under-20 international Cristian Volpato, who plays for Serie A club Sassuolo and, being a dual national, changed his international allegiance to Australia last week.

The Socceroos still possess the same physicality and tenacity as under Arnold, but under Popovic they are even more committed to structure and defensive organisation.

That approach may benefit them during the group stage but could be less effective in the knockout rounds, where goals are typically more difficult to score.

Australia have managed without a prominent target man since Tim Cahill was at his peak and lack top-class midfielders to supply their forwards.

Considerable excitement surrounds 20-year-old Irankunda and 22-year-old striker Mohamed Toure, who have impressed for their clubs in the English second tier.

Expecting them to propel Australia into the round of 16 with a burst of goals might be optimistic, but former Socceroos striker Archie Thompson believes the African-born pair can make a name for themselves.

"These young players are an X-factor," Thompson, who netted 28 goals in 54 international appearances, told Reuters.

"They could step onto the world stage and dominate. Or it may take another World Cup when they are more hardened."