New Zealand’s Tim Payne went from unknown to World Cup social media sensation
The World Cup is still a week away, and already, New Zealand defender Tim Payne has become an overnight sensation and one of the tournament’s biggest winners.
Payne has gained nearly four million Instagram followers in a matter of days following an Argentine social media influencer’s campaign to promote “the least known” player in the 48-team tournament.
Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini, known as “El Scarso,” thought it would be fun to introduce the world to the least-known player going to the World Cup. He settled on Payne, the 32-year-old Wellington Phoenix player, whose New Zealand team faces Haiti Tuesday night in a pre-World Cup friendly at Inter Miami’s Fort Lauderdale Stadium (formerly Chase Stadium).
Payne had just 4,700 Instagram followers as of May 28.
After Scarsini directed his followers to boost Payne’s profile, the New Zealander’s account went viral. It surged to 550,000 followers in less than a day, and as of Monday, was up to four million.
Another Argentine fan composed a Spanish song “No Payne, No Gain” about the New Zealander.
The lyrics, in English are: “It won’t be the World Cup of Yamal. As my grandfather used to say: `Watch out for Tim Payne in the World Cup.’ He’s the new Di Maria. I’ve got his back. I cheer him on. I’ve been following him from the beginning. With Tim Payne from the cradle to the grave. You’re a crack [great player]. I cheer you on with every step, every cross that goes into the box, every time you twist your hips. No Payne, No Gain! He’s the true king of the team of the people.”
In a video urging his fans to follow Payne, Scarsini said: “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?
“I searched through all the national teams playing in the World Cup for the least-known one and after analyzing 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 5,000 followers.”
Payne now has more followers than the entire New Zealand team.
He posted a thank you to Scarsini and all his new followers. He opened with some words in broken Spanish and then switched to English: “Hello everyone. Thanks so much for all the support. Apologies for my Spanish. I keep practicing with DuoLingo. Just want to say a massive thank you, first to you, Valen. It’s been a pretty crazy 48 hours, to say the least. I also wanted to express that I’m very grateful to represent my country and I appreciate all the love from around the world. Muchas gracias.”
He explained in an interview on the New Zealand team site what the past week has been like for him.
“One afternoon, I started getting a few random notifications; I looked on my Instagram and noticed someone had tagged me in a video,” Payne said. “It was in Spanish, my Spanish isn’t very great, so I passed it on to my missus, who is fluent in Spanish and was able to let me know what it said.
“By the time I woke up the next morning, there were hundreds of thousands of followers. It’s pretty crazy. Probably as everyone can tell, I’m not massive on social media, so for that to happen is a bit strange for me. I’m trying to embrace it all. It’s hard. Trying to have a bit of a laugh and banter with it. It’s come from a cool place.”
He added that last week he showed up quietly at World Cup camp, and now he has millions of people following him.
“I hope that we as a team, and a nation, can make all those people proud and have something for them to cheer for.”
The All Whites, New Zealand’s team nickname, are in their third World Cup and seeking their first victory after going winless in 1982 and 2010. They open against Iran on June 16 in Inglewood, California, face Egypt six days later in Vancouver and play their final first-round match against Belgium in Vancouver on June 27.
To help them get ready, they are playing a tuneup Tuesday night against Haiti, which qualified for its first World Cup in 52 years. The Haitian team has overcome incredible odds, becoming the only nation to go through World Cup qualifying without playing a single home game. All their matches were moved to a neutral site due to gang violence and the economic and political instability on the island.
The Haitian player who has galvanized that nation’s fan base is Duckens Nazon, 32, who plays in Iran as a striker for Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal.
“His nickname is The Prince,” said his Haiti teammate Derrick Etienne. “What he’s done for Haiti can never be overstated. He has a sense of belief and pride in himself that I feel is contagious. He’s never afraid of the big moment. He’s always ready to score the goal, get the foul, do what it takes to put Haiti forward.”
Tuesday’s game is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through TicketMaster and secondary online marketplaces.
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 3:27 PM with the headline "New Zealand’s Tim Payne went from unknown to World Cup social media sensation."