FIFA World Cup: How a viral campaign made New Zealand’s Tim Payne an unexpected star

Thursday, 28 May 2026

All Whites defender Tim Payne in action against the Socceroos last year.

All Whites defender Tim Payne's Instagram followers exploded from 4,715 to over 600,000 in 24 hours after Argentine content creator Valen Scarsini's viral campaign.

Scarsini identified the Wellington Phoenix player as the 'least known' FIFA World Cup participant among all national teams.

Tim Payne may receive a shock when he turns on his phone at the pre-tournament training camp in Florida due to notification overload.

All Whites defender Tim Payne has become an unexpected star ahead of the FIFA World Cup – ironically, for being the “least known” player at the tournament.

Argentine content creator Valen Scarsini has called on his more than 1 million followers across TikTok and Instagram to “unite” and support New Zealand’s right back during the World Cup.

Scarsini said he identified the Wellington Phoenix player because he had the least amount of followers on Instagram.

But that is certainly not the case now. In just 24 hours since Scarsini’s campaign went viral, Payne’s following has exploded from 4715 on Instagram to more than 630,000 – making him the most popular footballer in New Zealand.

He now has three times the online following of All Whites captain Chris Wood and more followers than All Blacks star Ardie Savea.

Callan Elliot spoke about Auckland FC's championship celebrations, which took up the bulk of the time between the final whistle in the grand final and his and his team-mate's departure for the World Cup.

“There are only a few days left before the World Cup starts and we are all waiting to cheer for our national team, but what if there was a player who united us all, a footballer we all support regardless of their nationality?” Scarsini asked.

“I searched through all the national teams playing in the World Cup for the least known one and after analysing them one by one I found him. In group G, in New Zealand, there is Tim Payne. He really is the least known. He doesn’t even have 5000 followers.”

Scarsini called on his own followers to show their support for Payne by bombarding his Instagram account with likes and comments. The amount of notifications he received may come as a shock when Payne arrives in Florida for the pre-tournament training camp and turns on his phone.

New Zealand captain Chris Wood and his team-mates are determined to create history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, revealing their goal is to reach the knockout stages for the first time.

His posts have been flooded with thousands of comments. One from New Zealand Football congratulating Payne on his 50th appearance for the All Whites in April has more than 50,000 responses.

“We have to start mentioning Tim Payne everywhere,” Scarsini added.

“We have to start making videos feeding the legend of Tim Payne. If you have the World Cup [sticker] album, upload a photo with his sticker. The goal is to see how many people know Tim Payne before the World Cup starts.”

So if you’re reading this and you don’t know who Payne is, he has played 50 games for the All Whites since his debut in 2012, has spent the past seven seasons with the Phoenix, recently became a father and he is expected to start at right back for New Zealand at the World Cup, although Auckland FC’s Callan Elliot is pushing him hard.