{"id":34811,"date":"2026-06-22T01:31:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T01:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/22\/tim-paynes-fame-puts-new-zealand-squad-in-world-cup-spotlight\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T01:31:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T01:31:20","slug":"tim-paynes-fame-puts-new-zealand-squad-in-world-cup-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/22\/tim-paynes-fame-puts-new-zealand-squad-in-world-cup-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim Payne\u2019s fame puts New Zealand squad in World Cup spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Updated June 21, 2026, 9:04 p.m. ET<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__bv\"\/>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__bvd gnt_x__h\"\/>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - How USMNT defense went above and beyond in win over Australia\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">VANCOUVER \u2014 From total unknown before the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/soccer\/worldcup\/2026\/06\/21\/world-cup-2026-explained-what-to-know\/90614450007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">World Cup<\/a> to rivaling America\u2019s brightest stars, the legend of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/soccer\/worldcup\/2026\/06\/18\/world-cup-viral-star-tim-payne-signs-olimpia-paraguay\/90614379007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Tim Payne<\/a> continues to grow, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/soccer\/worldcup\/2026\/05\/14\/new-zealand-world-cup-roster-2026-26-man-team\/90065414007\/\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Zealand<\/a> players love it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI think it&#8217;s great for [Payne] personally, great for us as a team as well,\u201d New Zealand forward Chris Wood said of his teammate\u2019s social media fame. \u201cI think it brings more eyes to us, which is only going to help us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Most soccer fans have likely heard of the New Zealand starting defender, something that would have been insane to say a few months ago. In late May, Argentine content creator Valen Scarsini dubbed Payne the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/soccer\/2026\/05\/29\/tim-payne-viral-sensation-new-zealand-world-cup\/90325539007\/\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cleast-known player in the World Cup,\u201d<\/a> challenging fans to change that title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The fans listened.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a__rb\" href=\"https:\/\/prf.hn\/click\/camref:1101l3wQsP\/pubref:ShoppingWorldCup26\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fnew-zealand-national-soccer-team-tickets%2Fperformer%2F1496548\" data-v-afl=\"\" data-t-l=\"\u2691f:body nav - reviewed button|outbound links|buy now click|prf.hn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\">Buy New Zealand Tickets Here<\/a><\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp\">NEWSLETTER: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":body nav (wc-nl)|e|auto spike click:5|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp_a\" href=\"https:\/\/profile.usatoday.com\/newsletters\/world-cup-extra-time\/\">Sign up to get all the World Cup highlights in your inbox<\/a><\/aside>\n<p><a class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_gl gnt_em__el\" href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/picture-gallery\/sports\/soccer\/worldcup\/2026\/06\/13\/world-cup-2026-best-photos\/90528304007\/\" data-t-l=\"\u2691g:l|l|c|view gallery:inline promo\" aria-label=\"View Gallery - Photos reveal unforgettable World Cup action and emotion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"gnt_em_gl_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/06\/22\/USAT\/90638298007-getty-images-2282674142.jpg?crop=5158,2903,x0,y360&amp;width=660&amp;height=372&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/06\/22\/USAT\/90638298007-getty-images-2282674142.jpg?crop=5158,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/2903,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/x0,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/y360&amp;width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\"\/><svg class=\"gnt_em_gl_i_svg\"><use xlink:href=\"#gnt_svg_camera\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">As of publication, the viral sensation sits at 5.9 million Instagram followers, ballooning from fewer than 5,000 before the call to action. This is a huge number, but let\u2019s put things into perspective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/soccer\/worldcup\/2026\/06\/12\/united-states-world-cup-team-roster-schedule-games\/90519656007\/\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. men\u2019s national team roster<\/a>, only captain Christian Pulisic (7.6M) has more followers. The next closest, Sergin\u0303o Dest at 1.7M, doesn\u2019t sniff the following of the 32-year-old Payne.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Even beyond soccer, Payne has the faces of American sports on the ropes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Looking at the NBA, a league iconic for athletes with large social media followings, Payne would be in the top 25, ahead of Finals MVP Jalen Brunson (1.9M), back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (5M) and flashy <a data-autotag=\"ac5e47f0-6bd5-488e-9fd0-a3a235704d6f\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/basketball\/nba\/teams\/minnesota-timberwolves\/16\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> star Anthony Edwards (5.4M).<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Payne\u2019s dominance of other major sports leagues are even more mind-blowing. Only three active NFL players have more followers than Payne: Odell Beckham Jr. (16.5M), Travis Kelce (7.7M) and Patrick Mahomes (6.4M). Just the MLB\u2019s Shohei Ohtani (10.8M) has more. And Payne tops the list of active NHL players with ease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">To put it simply: One social media post did for Payne what the vast majority of active American athletes couldn\u2019t do for themselves. And perhaps a coincidence, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/soccer\/worldcup\/2026\/06\/18\/world-cup-viral-star-tim-payne-signs-olimpia-paraguay\/90614379007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Payne just signed with Paraguayan club Olympia<\/a>. Both his following and new club speak to the impact an event with the global reach of the World Cup can truly provide.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">How is New Zealand responding to this newfound spotlight on their team? Coming into the World Cup as FIFA\u2019s lowest-ranked entrant, hardly anyone was talking about them; hence why a player from their squad was picked for Scarsini\u2019s \u201chonor.\u201d So the players welcome the attention, feeling like other countries\u2019 fanbases are backing the All Whites.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cPeople might be looking out for a second team to support,\u201d Wood said. \u201cThe more supporters we have, the more love you feel, and then the better you play in that sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_fo__wc-standings-carousel\" aria-label=\"World Cup Standings Carousel\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-type=\"comment\"><!--@pre<iframe class=gnt_em_fo_if src=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/tangfrag\/sports\/wc-standings-carousel\/?prm-embedded&prm-league=WC&prm-season=2026&prm-group=Group%20A\" loading=lazy sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms\" title=\"World Cup Standings Carousel\"><\/iframe>--><\/aside>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Payne played 77 minutes in New Zealand&#8217;s 2-2 draw versus Iran in their 2026 World Cup opener, arguably the most important of his career. With all four nations in Group G knotted at one point, New Zealand has a realistic chance at the knockout round with even a draw to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/soccer\/worldcup\/2026\/06\/21\/new-zealand-egypt-time-channel-streaming-schedule\/90626600007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Egypt in Vancouver<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Even if Payne\u2019s team goes down, his follower count likely will continue doing the opposite.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Jack Cooney is a student in the University of Georgia\u2019s Carmical Sports Media Institute.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated June 21, 2026, 9:04 p.m. ET VANCOUVER \u2014 From total unknown before the World Cup to rivaling America\u2019s brightest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_animmysite_disable_animation":false,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/06\/21\/USAT\/90637630007-usatsi-29204445.jpg?crop=2360,1328,x0,y1149&width=2360&height=1328&format=pjpg&auto=webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[212],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}