FIFA World Cup: Why the internet has suddenly fallen in love with New Zealand footballer Tim Payne

Friday, 29 May 2026

Tim Payne has gone from under 5,000 Instagram followers to over 1.4 million in a matter of days after Argentine influencer Vale Scarcini turned the Kiwi defender into a viral phenomenon ahead of next month's Men's Football World Cup.

All Whites defender Tim Payne has become the unexpected star of the FIFA World Cup, gaining more than one million online followers before a ball has even been kicked.

Why has the internet fallen in love with New Zealand footballer Tim Payne?

It started when Argentine content creator Valen Scarsini identified Payne as the player with the fewest followers at the tournament. Scarsini urged his combined one million TikTok and Instagram followers to support New Zealand’s right back by flooding his page with likes and comments.

“There are only a few days left before the World Cup starts and we are all waiting to cheer for our national teams, 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.”

How many followers has Payne gained?

Payne had 4715 Instagram followers when Scarsini posted the video. Within 24 hours, he had passed 500,000 and within 48 hours he topped 1 million followers. At the time of writing, Payne’s following has climbed to 1.2 million.

Which New Zealand sports stars have the most followers?

Payne has already overtaken All Whites captain Chris Wood, NBA basketballer Steven Adams and All Blacks first five-eighth Beauden Barrett, but he remains well behind UFC fighter Israel Adesanya, whose 8.2 million followers make him New Zealand’s most-followed athlete.

Black Caps stars Kane Williamson (3.3 million), Trent Boult (1.3 million) and Brendon McCullum (1.1 million), Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson (1.4 million) and former dual international Sonny Bill Williams (1.6 million) have also surpassed seven figures.

Globally, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the most-followed athlete with a whopping 665 million followers.

What does Payne think of his newfound fame?

Posting from the All Whites’ training camp in Florida, Payne thanked Scarsini and his new followers.

“I just want to say a massive thank you first to you Valen – it’s been a pretty crazy 48 hours to say the least,” Payne said.

“I just wanted to also express that I’m very grateful to be representing my country and I appreciate all the love from all around the world. Muchos gracias.”

What has been the reaction?

Payne’s club, Wellington Phoenix, along with New Zealand Football, the A-League and even rivals Auckland FC, have all capitalised on the sudden surge in interest by posting highlights and photos of the defender.

The story has also attracted global attention, with outlets including the BBC, Guardian, Forbes, The Times of India, NBC News and The Associated Press covering the New Zealand footballer’s viral rise ahead of the World Cup.

Matt Fejos, founder of the All Whites’ supporters group Flying Kiwis, told Stuff the viral Payne campaign was “beautiful”. “Often social media is used for negativity but this guy was like let’s find an everyday hero, roughly the person with the least followers, and let’s blow him up in a positive sense.

“It shows the worldwide reach of football. In two days’ time he’s got as many followers as Dan Carter. Hopefully we’re favourites in every game in the stands.”

Tim Payne in action for the All Whites against Chile in March.

Was Payne really the ‘least known’ player at the tournament?

Some of his All Whites team-mates might be thankful the spotlight skipped them.

Midfielder Lachlan Bayliss, the All Whites’ most recent debutant, has just over 3000 Instagram followers, while third-choice goalkeeper Michael Woud has around 1500. Joe Bell does not even have an Instagram account.

Despite his low profile online, Payne is one of New Zealand’s most experienced players, with 50 appearances for the All Whites since his debut in 2012 and 149 for the Phoenix. He is expected to start at right back during the World Cup.

When will it stop?

Not anytime soon. By the time this article was finished, Payne’s followers jumped by another 100,000.

If he scores a goal at the World Cup, expect his social media account to explode again.

When does Payne and the All Whites play?

Their first warm-up friendly is against Haiti in Fort Lauderdale next week (kickoff 12pm June 3 NZ time) with a match against England to follow four days later.

Their World Cup campaign begins on June 15 (1pm June 16 NZ time) against Iran in Los Angeles.