The soccer field takes a backseat as Instagram emerges as the main arena for pre-World Cup competition involving Australia, New Zealand and online content creators.

Socceroos defender Kai Trewin finds himself at the center of a social media movement designed to boost the profiles of lesser-known players ahead of the tournament.

An online effort to position the 25-year-old as the standout figure of the event has added 100000 followers to his account in a single day.

South American creator Valen Scarsini launched a drive last week to highlight the player with the smallest following in the World Cup squads, directing attention toward New Zealand defender Tim Payne, whose count rose from 5000 to over 4.6 million.

Another creator, RubikayTV, challenged that claim and rallied support for the Australian wingback instead, arguing that Trewin deserved the spotlight.

The content creator stated that Payne does not hold the title of least-known participant and positioned Trewin as the rival figure in the campaign.

Selected for Tony Popovic final 26-man roster on Monday, Trewin earned his first Socceroos cap in 2025 after progressing from Brisbane Roar to Melbourne City, where he featured in 47 matches for the club.

He transferred to New York City in January and has appeared 18 times in Major League Soccer, facing top talents including Lionel Messi.

Payne, based with Wellington Phoenix, overtook the All Blacks account to rank as New Zealand second-most followed athlete after Israel Adesanya and nears the country population total, with supporters even producing a tribute track.

Payne expressed gratitude on Instagram at the end of June for the rapid support, noting the whirlwind period and his pride in representing his nation, while Trewin has not yet addressed the surge.

Payne has limited his posts to training updates since the attention began, and New Zealand suffered a 4-0 loss to Haiti in a midweek friendly before facing Iran on 16 June, with Australia opening against Turkey on 14 June.