New Zealand national football team All Whites defender Tim Payne has gained over 1m followers on Instagram after an Argentine influencer's mission to promote the World Cup's 'least-known' player.

What happened?

The influencer, Valen Scarsini, shared a video calling on his followers to follow and make posts about Payne to boost his profile. Payne's followers stood at 1.4m and rising by Friday.

Why it matters for New Zealand national football team All Whites

Payne scored one and assisted four during the All Whites' World Cup qualifying campaign and was included in Darren Bazeley's 26-man squad for the nation's third ever finals. The tournament's lowest-ranked side, New Zealand will begin their first campaign since 2010 against Iran before taking on Egypt and Belgium in their bid to progress from Group G. | Stat | Value | | --- | --- | | Last result | New Zealand 1-3 Egypt (2026-06-22) | | Next fixture | vs Belgium (at home, 2026-06-27) |

What comes next?

Payne has now posted a video message himself from New Zealand's pre-World Cup training camp in Florida, thanking Scarsini for the surprise attention his account was attracting. The New Zealand national football team All Whites will look to bounce back from their last result against Egypt and secure a win against Belgium on 2026-06-27.