Tim Payne
Payne in 2025
Personal information
Full name Timothy John Payne[1]
Date of birth (1994-01-10) 10 January 1994 (age 32)[2]
Place of birth Auckland, New Zealand
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Positions
  • Midfielder
  • defender
Team information
Current team
Olimpia
Youth career
Auckland City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2010 Auckland City 1 (1)
2010–2012 Waitakere United 7 (0)
2012–2014 Blackburn Rovers 0 (0)
2014–2015 Auckland City 10 (1)
2015–2016 Portland Timbers 2 22 (0)
2016–2019 Eastern Suburbs 51 (2)
2019–2026 Wellington Phoenix 143 (4)
2026– Olimpia 0 (0)
International career‡
2011 New Zealand U17 9 (4)
2011–2013 New Zealand U20 4 (0)
2012 New Zealand U23 2 (0)
2012– New Zealand 53 (3)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  New Zealand
OFC Nations Cup
Winner 2024 Fiji/Vanuatu
Third place 2012 Solomon Islands
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 April 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 June 2026

Timothy John Payne (born 10 January 1994) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a defender for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League and for the New Zealand national team.[3] He will join Olimpia in the División de Honor after the FIFA World Cup.

A noted utility player, Payne has played almost every outfield position during his career.[4]

Club career

Auckland City and Waitakere United

Born in Auckland, Payne attended Sacred Heart College and started his youth career with ASB Premiership club Auckland City before switching to play for rivals Waitakere United. Payne played a major role in Waitakere United's success in the ASB National Youth League in 2010.[5]

Blackburn Rovers

After impressing at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup Payne trialled with Premier League side Blackburn Rovers and then spent several months training at the club.[6] Days after celebrating his 18th birthday Payne signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Rovers in January 2012.[7] Due to work permit issues that prevented him from playing for Rovers, he was released at the end of his contract.

Wellington Phoenix

In July 2019, Payne signed a one-year contract with A-League side Wellington Phoenix.[8] Payne made his A-League debut for the Phoenix in the first match of the 2019–20 season in a 0–1 defeat against Western United on 13 October 2019 — Payne was substituted in for Louis Fenton in the 68th minute.[9] On 3 January 2020, it was announced that Payne had signed a two-year contract extension with the Phoenix.[10] On 10 June 2020, Payne pleaded guilty to a drink-driving charge after a shirtless late-night joy ride in a golf cart in Sydney while the team was supposed to be in self-isolation. He was subsequently ordered by the court to pay a AUS$700 fine.[11]

On 4 November 2023, in his 93rd appearance for the Phoenix, Payne scored his first goal for the club following an overlapping run and a well-taken finish with his weaker left foot. The Phoenix defeated Brisbane Roar 5–2 at Sky Stadium, Wellington.[12] Payne scored a career-high 3 goals in 23 appearances during the 2023–24 season.

During the 2024–25 season, Payne made 20 appearances in the league. He scored one goal during the season, scoring in a 2–0 win against Perth Glory at HBF Park, Perth, on 26 October 2024.[13] On 17 December 2024, Payne signed a new three-year contract with the Phoenix, until the end of the 2027–28 season.[14]

In the 2025–26 season, Payne made 14 appearances in the A-League Men and 2 appearances in the Australia Cup. On 26 October 2025, Payne suffered a broken collarbone in a 2–1 win against the Brisbane Roar in Wellington.[15]

Club Olimpia

On 19 June 2026, the Wellington Phoenix announced that they had accepted an undisclosed transfer fee for Payne from Paraguayan División de Honor side Olimpia.[16][17] The transfer is subject to Payne completing a medical after the World Cup, with the fee believed to be in the vicinity of $500,000.[18][19]

International career

Payne represented New Zealand at Under-17 level. He played 90 minutes in each of his sides four matches at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico.

In May 2012, Payne received a call-up from Ricki Herbert to the senior national team alongside fellow youngster and U-17 teammate Cameron Howieson.[20] He made his first appearance in a 1–0 win against Honduras on 26 May 2012, coming on as a substitute for Leo Bertos and playing the final 15 minutes of the match.[21] He subsequently made an appearance off the bench in the OFC Nations Cup 2012. Payne was named in New Zealand's team for the 2012 Olympics.

On 30 March 2026, Payne received his 50th cap for the All Whites in a 4–1 win over Chile as part of the 2026 FIFA Series.[22] With this win, New Zealand achieved their first ever win against a South American national team.[23][24]

On 14 May 2026, Payne was announced to be in the New Zealand squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[25]

Personal life

On 28 May 2026, Payne became the target of a viral social media campaign by Argentinian influencer Valen Scarsini, who directed his followers to support Tim Payne specifically as the "least known" player at the World Cup.[26] As a result, Payne's Instagram follower count grew from under 5,000 to more than 550,000 in less than a day.[27] Within three days, he had reached more than 3.2 million followers, making his Instagram account the most followed football-related page from New Zealand.[28] In response, Payne posted a video thanking Valen and his new fans for his new found fame, saying "I just wanted to also express that I'm very grateful to be representing my country and I appreciate all the love from all around the world".

On 3 June, Scarsini attended New Zealand's World Cup warm-up friendly against Haiti, and met Payne at New Zealand's training camp the following morning, where he was gifted a jersey from Payne.[29][30] As of 6 June, Payne has over 5 million followers on his Instagram, making him the second-most followed New Zealand athlete behind Israel Adesanya.[31][32]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Auckland City 2009–10 NZ Premiership 1 1 — — — 1 1
Waitakere United 2010–11 NZ Premiership 6 0 — 1[a] 0 2[b] 0 9 0
Blackburn Rovers 2011–12 Premier League 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2012–13 Championship 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2013–14 Championship 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Auckland City 2014–15 NZ Premiership 10 1 — 1[c] 0 5[d] 0 16 1
Portland Timbers 2 2015 USL Pro 21 0 2 0 — — 23 0
Eastern Suburbs 2016–17 NZ Premiership 16 1 — — — 16 1
2017–18 NZ Premiership 16 1 — — — 16 1
2018–19 NZ Premiership 17 0 — — 2[b] 0 19 0
Total 49 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 51 2
Wellington Phoenix 2019–20 A-League Men 16 0 1 0 — 0 0 17 0
2020–21 A-League Men 19 0 — — — 19 0
2021–22 A-League Men 23 0 1 0 — 1[e] 0 17 0
2022–23 A-League Men 23 0 2 0 — 1[e] 0 26 0
2023–24 A-League Men 23 3 2 0 — 2[e] 0 27 3
2024–25 A-League Men 20 1 0 0 — — 20 1
2025–26 A-League Men 14 0 2 0 — — 16 0
Total 138 4 8 0 0 0 4 0 142 4
Career total
  1. ^ Appearance in OFC Champions League
  2. ^ a b Appearances in New Zealand Football Championship play-offs
  3. ^ Appearances in OFC President's Cup
  4. ^ One appearance in Charity Cup; four appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  5. ^ a b c Appearances in A-League Men finals series

International

As of 05 June 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year[33]
National team Year Apps Goals
New Zealand 2012 7 0
2013 2 2
2014 5 0
2015 1 0
2016 0 0
2017 0 0
2018 4 0
2019 2 0
2020 0 0
2021 0 0
2022 9 0
2023 5 0
2024 7 0
2025 3 1
2026 2 0
Total 46 3
Scores and results list New Zealand's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Payne goal.
List of international goals scored by Tim Payne
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 26 March 2013 Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands  Solomon Islands 1–0 2–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification [34]
2 2–0
3 21 March 2025 Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand  Fiji 4–0 7–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Auckland City

  • New Zealand Championship: 2014–15[35]
  • New Zealand Premiership: 2009–10,[36] 2014–15[37]
  • FIFA Club World Cup Third Place: 2014[38]

Waitakere United[39]

  • New Zealand Championship: 2010–11
  • New Zealand Premiership: 2010–11

Blackburn Rovers

  • Premier League Asia Trophy Third Place: 2011[40]

Eastern Suburbs

  • New Zealand Championship: 2018–19[41]

New Zealand

  • FIFA Series runner-up: 2026
  • OFC Nations Cup: 2024
  • OFC U-17 Championship: 2011[42]

Individual

  • PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2023–24[43]
  • A-Leagues All Star: 2024[44]

References

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup 2026™ Squad Lists" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  2. ^ a b "FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013 List of Players: New Zealand" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2013. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2013.
  3. ^ "FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 10 August 2011. p. 18. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Wellington Phoenix utility Tim Payne negotiates his own contract extension". 3 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Q & A WITH TIM PAYNE". Waitakere United. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Kiwi set for Blackburn chance". Sky Sports. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Payne seals Rovers move". Sky Sports. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Wellington Phoenix Sign Kiwi International". Wellington Phoenix. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Wellington Phoenix Take Positives from Opening Day Loss". Wellington Phoenix. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  10. ^ Rollo, Phillip (3 January 2020). "Wellington Phoenix utility Tim Payne negotiates his own contract extension". Stuff.co.nz.
  11. ^ Voerman, Andrew (11 June 2020). "Wellington Phoenix defender Tim Payne pleads guilty to drink-driving after golf cart ride". Stuff.co.nz.
  12. ^ Rollo, Phillip (7 November 2023). "Tim Payne right back to his best for Wellington Phoenix". Stuff. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  13. ^ Voerman, Andrew (27 October 2024). "Wellington Phoenix beat Perth Glory for first win of A-League Men season". Stuff. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  14. ^ "All Whites fullback sticks with the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  15. ^ Rollo, Phillip (28 October 2025). "Wellington Phoenix defender Tim Payne to miss first two derbies and All Whites tour in major injury blow". Stuff. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  16. ^ Phoenix, Wellington (18 June 2026). "Phoenix agree to Payne transfer". Wellington Phoenix. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  17. ^ "TIM PAYNE, NUEVO JUGADOR DEL CLUB OLIMPIA". www.clubolimpia.com.py (in Spanish). 18 June 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  18. ^ Rollo, Phillip (19 June 2026). "All White Tim Payne signs with Paraguay giants after viral World Cup fame". Stuff. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  19. ^ "All Whites defender set to cash in on sudden fame with move to South America". NZ Herald. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  20. ^ "Herbert includes Payne and Howieson for World Cup qualifiers". New Zealand Football. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  21. ^ "All Whites beat Honduras in Dallas". New Zealand Football. 27 May 2012. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  22. ^ "All Whites Defeat Chile To Make History At Eden Park In FIFA Series". New Zealand Football. 30 March 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  23. ^ Burgess, Michael (30 March 2026). "All Whites get Fifa World Cup boost with emphatic Chile victory". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  24. ^ Voerman, Andrew (30 March 2026). "All Whites break South American duck with morale-boosting win over 10-man Chile". Stuff. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  25. ^ "New Zealand Squad Named for FIFA World Cup 2026". www.nzfootball.co.nz. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  26. ^ Rollo, Phillip (28 May 2026). "FIFA World Cup: How a viral campaign made All Whites defender Tim Payne an unexpected star". Stuff. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  27. ^ Sherry, Samuel. "'Legend of Tim Payne': Argentine influencer makes All Whites defender a cult hero". NZ Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  28. ^ Limm, Nathan. "'Crazy 48 hours': All White thanks fans as his global fame soars". NZ Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  29. ^ "Viral Kiwi star meets Argentine influencer who boosted following to 5M". ABC News. 5 June 2026. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  30. ^ Voerman, Andrew (4 June 2026). "'It puts a light on us': All White Tim Payne meets El Scarso, the Argentine influencer who made him Instagram famous". Stuff. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  31. ^ Voerman, Andrew (6 June 2026). "What's it like being Tim Payne? All White's first interview since social media boom shows where his focus is ahead of World Cup". Stuff. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  32. ^ "'I have my notifications turned off': Tim Payne speaks on newfound stardom". 1News. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  33. ^ Tim Payne at National-Football-Teams.com
  34. ^ "New Zealand Football: All Whites finish Oceania campaign unbeaten". www.nzfootball.co.nz. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  35. ^ "Squad of Auckland City 2014-15". BDFutbol.
  36. ^ "Auckland City Squad 2009/10". Tribuna.
  37. ^ "Squad of Auckland City 2014-15". BDFutbol.
  38. ^ "Squad of Auckland City 2014-15". BDFutbol.
  39. ^ "Waitakere United 2010/11 Squad". National Football Teams.
  40. ^ "Blackburn Rovers 2011-12 Squad". ESPN.
  41. ^ "Eastern Suburbs Squad 2018/2019". Tribuna.
  42. ^ "New Zealand U17 2011 Squad". ESPN.
  43. ^ Rollo, Phillip (16 May 2024). "Wellington Phoenix dominate PFA A-League Men team of the season". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  44. ^ "A-League All Stars Men lock in final 21-player squad to take on Newcastle United this Friday". A-League Men. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
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