The countdown to seeing Tim Payne at the World Cup
New ZealandvsBelgium
No Payne, no gain.
The whole world already knows who Tim Payne is.
8 weeks and 1 day ago he had 4,715 followers. He was the least-known player at the next World Cup according to @elscarso. Today he has over 5.6M followers. To keep showing our support and follow his rise, we built the unofficial app for the defender who's going to be our World Cup player — by fans, for fans.
The leap
4,715+
live
followers and counting
The phenomenon · May 2026
4,715 followers
A capped international almost nobody watched. The humblest man at the World Cup.
The chosen one
@elscarso chose him: he hunted for the least-known player across all 48 squads, and Tim won. All Tim Payne.
+1 million in 48 hours
The world adopted him: past a million in two days, even overtaking New Zealand’s prime minister.
“Gracias, hermano”
Tim answered with humility, in Spanish. The phenomenon is with him, never against him.
Bigger than the All Blacks
His Instagram passed the All Blacks: 3.3 million to 2.8. The most-followed athlete in the country.
He has his own song
Fans wrote him a cumbia, “No Payne, no gain”, with a line that’s already an anthem: “It won’t be Yamal’s cup”.
Messi, Maradona, Tim
Four million followers. In the chants, his name now travels alongside the greatest.
On to the World Cup
Group G. New Zealand’s first World Cup in 15 years — now with the people’s player.
Play as Tim
Everything there is to play
Eight mini-games, trivia, the collaborative button, and your World Cup predictions. Every play climbs you up the ladder toward CR7.
Wear the phenomenon
We all wear it
Tees, caps and hoodies with the slogan that circled the globe.
The GOAT's rise
Tim's growth told as milestones: who he's already passed and which legend he's chasing now. The final bosses are in sight.
Tim against the world
Pick any player. We think Tim can beat them.
Tim PayneVSL. Messi
★ champion
challenger- 19assists in the A-League0
- 16matches in OFC competitions0
- 3,163′minutes for the New Zealand national team0′
- 50caps for the All Whites0
- 100%% of your goals for Wellington Phoenix0%
All Tim PayneA nation without borders
Love for Tim, all over the world
Tap a country to see how many joined. Messages from the Payne nation pop live over the map.
Explore everything
Every corner of the phenomenon, in one place.