Photographer captures World Cup using a camera built during FIFA's first tournament in 1930
Fareed Kotb documented the 2026 FIFA World Cup using a camera built the same year the tournament began
Fareed Kotb (@fareed_kotb), a professional photographer who documented previous FIFA World Cups in Russia and Qatar, wanted to do something different for his third tournament. He got his hands on a camera built in 1930 in Cairo, the very same year the FIFA World Cup started. The previous photographer and owner used the same camera and took photos of players before they went to the 1954 World Cup, as Business Insider reported on July 11, 2026. Kotb has since developed a few of the photos he took during the games. The full story of Kotb's venture will be shared in a documentary called 'Project 1930.' The post he shared on July 8 has received 7,770 likes and 201 comments.
Every shot mattered
Kotb may be a professional photographer, but he told the outlet he trained himself to use the camera before the 2026 World Cup. He planned his movements because he only had one chance to capture each shot. For each game, he could only snap 20 photos. This was a big difference compared to the 5,000 photos he had taken with his digital camera during the previous World Cups. Kotb compared his anticipation to see the photos to that of waiting for his first baby, "I feel as if I am preparing for the birth of my first baby. I can't sleep and am constantly overthinking."
Project 1930
Kotb managed to photograph two of the games (Portugal vs. Croatia in Toronto, Colombia vs. Switzerland in Vancouver), but the journey was not easy. He recently shared on Threads, "Honestly, I wasn’t sure this project would ever see the light of day. After months of challenges, delays, and four unsuccessful U.S. visa applications, I’m finally sharing the first photographs from Project 1930." Additionally, Kotb did not gatekeep. He shared all the technical details of the camera in the comment section. This included the type of camera he used, the format, the film, the developer, and what it was scanned on.
World Cup over the decades
The first FIFA World Cup in 1930 was hosted by Uruguay after it won two gold medals in the 1920 Olympics. The European teams had to travel by ship to compete in the World Cup. During the final match, Uruguay beat Argentina with a score of 4-2. Two decades later, the World Cup became an international phenomenon. Fans all around the world were able to watch the World Cup in color for the first time on their televisions. To date, the 1970 World Cup hosted by Mexico is considered one of the "greatest tournaments" in history. Gradually, its fanbase grew, and for the first time in 2002, the FIFA World Cup was hosted in Asia. Today, it is one of the most-watched sports events in the world, as per AFLO Images.
Kotb's commitment
People were in love with how Kotb's photos turned out. They were extremely impressed with his dedication to his art and love for the game. @jogosity commented, "What a thing of beauty. Do I miss working with film? Nobody else will have shots like this. You must be super proud." @florentbodiou_fako added, "Sick idea! And such commitment to pull through. I was waiting for your first photograph samples with so much anticipation. Looks great! Can't wait to see more."
You can follow Fareed Kotb (@fareed_kotb) for more photography content.
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