This World Cup photographer used a 96-year-old camera ‘in a world where everything is instant’

It was a tense game, and the final match Canada hosted in the competition.

But as Switzerland and Colombia battled for a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals at Vancouver’s BC Place on July 7, something stood out beyond the players on the pitch: a photographer shooting the game on a large-format film camera.

“My husband paused and backed up during last night’s match to check he’d just seen what he thought he’d just seen!!” a fan wrote on Threads the next day.

“What a cool dude. Maybe a time traveller?” someone else posted.

“Does anyone know who this is and how we can see his photos?” asked another.

As the images went viral, commenters on social media had three questions: Who is the photographer, what kind of camera was he using and when can we see the photos he took?

Who is the photographer?

Fareed Kotb, 39, from Cairo, Egypt, has been a sports photographer for more than 16 years.

This was his third World Cup, and he wanted to make it special, Kotb told CBC News in an interview from Vancouver shortly after he identified himself online.

“Digital is faster for sports. Film is slower, but it has special feelings,” he said.

“I think people were surprised. They saw an old camera from 1930 at the biggest event — in the FIFA World Cup. Then they wanted to know the story behind it.”

The photos will be part of a documentary he’s working on called called Project 1930.

It was harder than using a digital camera, he said, because you can’t see the pictures. He also had to be deliberate, knowing his camera could only take so many photos per game.

He snapped just 10 photos in Toronto, where he covered Portugal versus Croatia, and 40 at the game in Vancouver.

Those were the only matches Kotb photographed, he said, adding that his dream had been to cover the final in the U.S., but his application at the consular office in Cairo was denied four times. As to why, Kotb cited the political situation in the U.S. and heightened visitor restrictions.

“It was disappointing,” he said, “but I chose to keep moving forward and make the best of the opportunity I had.”

What was the camera?

Kotb spent a full year searching for the perfect equipment before finally finding it at a market in Cairo: a 1930 Zeiss Ikon Ideal 250/11 9×12 large-format folding camera. He wanted 1930 specifically because that was the year of the first World Cup, in Uruguay.

After researching the serial number, Kotb says his camera has also seen World Cup action before: it was used to shoot the Egyptian team at the 1934 tournament, where Egypt made history as the first African team to play.

The same camera also snapped Egypt’s players at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The German-made Zeiss Ikon is made of metal, finished in black enamel and nickel and covered in “fine grain seal leather,” according to an archive copy of the 1930 Zeiss Ikon catalogue posted online.

This model can take closeup images of objects within 11 inches of the camera (about 28 centimetres), according to the catalogue, thanks in part to its bellows — the accordion-like folds that extend 11¾ inches (nearly 30 centimetres) from the camera.

It can also focus on objects at a distance.

It uses glass film plates, which are the predecessors to modern film, but Kotb said he used modern sheet film in film holders.

How did the pictures turn out?

Kotb shared some of his final products with CBC News after he developed them back in Cairo.

He developed the sheet film using a classic Kodak D-76 developer, he said. And after the negatives were fully dried, he carefully scanned each one.

“From there, I make only minimal adjustments to preserve the authentic look and feel of the original negative.”

He said he’s still surprised so many people connected with his project, and with the attention he’s received online. But he’s happy to see it.

“I think it reminded them that photography is about storytelling, patience and emotion — not just technology,” Kotb said.

“In a world where everything is instant, people were fascinated.”

But he also doesn’t think it was just about the camera.

“It was about the idea, the dedication, and bringing a piece of history into the present.”