This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Fareed Kotb. It has been edited for length and clarity.
After photographing two World Cups in Russia and Qatar, I wanted my third to be different.
I somehow wanted to connect to the first World Cup in 1930, nearly 100 years ago, and decided to do this; I would take photographs with a camera made in 1930.
I bought a 1930s camera in Cairo
In Cairo, we have a market for vintage cameras. I narrowed it down to four cameras, settling on one I found in a big box — a Zeiss Ikon Ideal 250/11.
The camera, I learned after researching the origin of the serial number, was owned by a photographer who used it to photograph players before they traveled to the 1954 World Cup. He also photographed Egyptian players before the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
In the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup, I spent a lot of time learning how the camera worked. I practiced loading film, focusing, setting the exposure, and taking test photos. I read old manuals and learned about the camera’s history — it was like studying for university.
It was important to me to be completely comfortable using the camera before taking it to the World Cup.
With this camera, you don’t get limitless chances to get a good photo as you do with digital cameras — everything is slower. I had to carefully plan my movements and the photos I wanted to capture before the games because you only get one chance.
With a digital camera, I can quickly decide when to shoot, and a second later, I can see the result.
But with my 1930 camera, I knew I could take no more than 20 photos each game. As a comparison, at one game in the last World Cup, I took 5,000 photos.
I would need to trust my experience and wait until I developed the film to see the final result.
I was denied permission to shoot the World Cup final
Heading to Canada, I felt very excited to use the camera. When I arrived, people — fans, photographers, and volunteers — mocked when they saw the camera — they had never seen a camera like it.
Walking onto that pitch in Canada with a camera nearly 100 years old was a highlight of the tournament for me. I knew that every photo I took, I would be connecting the past with the present. That was very special.
I photographed two games: Portugal versus Croatia in Toronto and Colombia versus Switzerland in Vancouver.
Although it was my dream to shoot at the final in America, I was denied four times, which was difficult.
But for the two games I was able to attend, I thought about what the last photographer using the camera must be thinking. How would he shoot moments? How would he position himself to take a photo?
My movements were planned, my eyes constantly darting left and right to know when to shoot.
I’ve now returned home to Egypt and will develop them in the lab on Sunday. I feel as if I am preparing for the birth of my first baby. I can’t sleep and am constantly overthinking. Will the photos be good?
I can’t wait to see the results, and neither can all the people who have followed me on social media after hearing about this project.
After I posted online about the camera, I woke up the next morning to messages and comments from people interested in the results and excited about this very new but old way of taking photos in 2026.
Now, we just wait.
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