The World Cup is a tournament designed for the big stars. However, there are more modest teams that have players with little renown in their squads. One of the most striking cases involved Tommy Smith, a New Zealand footballer who represents a club in the fifth division of England.

Tommy Smith is the only player who plays in a fifth division and is in the 2026 World Cup. Smith defends the colors of Braintree, a National League club.

According to information from Transfermarkt, Tommy Smith has a market value that is only around $50,000. In fact, only Smith is the only Braintree player who is valued by the specialized transfer page.

The Tommy Smith Experience

Tommy Smith is a 36-year-old central defender. Although he currently plays for Braintree, Smith played for other clubs such as Ipswich, Brentford, Colchester Utd, Sunderland, MK Dons, Macarthur, Auckland FC and even the Colorado Rapids of the MLS.

The New Zealand coach, Darren Bazeley, had a leader in the locker room who was able to bring peace of mind to the squad. It is worth mentioning that Tommy Smith already had a World Cup behind him.

Tommy Smith played in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Smith was part of that squad that finished the group stage undefeated after drawing its three games against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay. 16 years later, Tommy Smith returned to the World Cup with the intention of winning his first match in this tournament, but New Zealand was again left out in the first round and Smith leaves without a minute added in the tournament.

This is how the 2026 World Cup is going