Well it is all kicking off over here in the good ol' NZA (New Zealand / Aotearoa) even before a ball has been kicked at the 2026 FIFA World Cup!
If you haven't yet heard of Tim Payne yet, believe me, before the end of the World Cup you certainly would have and not for his football ability either! 
All Whites and Wellington Phoenix defender Tim Payne has gained over a million Instagram followers this week after being singled out by an Argentinean football influencer as the “least-known” player at the Fifa World Cup. At the time Valen Scarsini aka @elscarso posted his first video, Payne had under 5,000 Instagram followers – today that number passed a million, making him the second most followed player in the A-Leagues after Melbourne Victory’s Juan Mata.
Here are a few articles from the past week so you can all familairise yourself with the man himself!
Five things Tim Payne fans should know about their new football hero:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/sport
World Cup: Tim Payne overtakes All Blacks in followers on Instagram after viral World Cup push:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/spo
Who Is Tim Payne? How a New Zealand Defender Became a World Cup Folk Hero:
https://www.si.com/soccer/who-
So, if the All Whites are not already your Number 2 or even Number 1 team to support this summer, then get onboard the Payne Train and cheer Tim and the rest of the New Zealand Men's team on to victory!  |  |
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