World Cup 2026 Official Portraits: Behind the Scenes of Fifa’s Obligatory Photoshoots
Every player and manager at the 2026 World Cup had to face the camera for Fifa’s official portraits — whether they liked it or not. According to The Guardian, Getty Images photographed all 1,248 players and 48 managers on Fifa’s behalf in the weeks leading up to the tournament, producing a collection of images that range from the stiffly conventional to the genuinely creative.
Two photographers were assigned to each national team, allowing them to set up two separate backdrops simultaneously and rotate players through quickly. Lighting rigs were kept relatively straightforward — a large studio strobe with a softbox pointed at the subject, plus a couple of rim lights at the rear for shape and depth. To add visual flair, photographers used special lens filters capable of producing unpredictable blurring and kaleidoscopic distortions, giving 2026’s portraits a noticeably more inventive feel than those from Qatar in 2022.
The Guardian’s sports photographer Tom Jenkins, who worked on the project, described the challenge of working at pace with high-profile subjects. “You only get a few minutes with each player and you have to bash out various pictures and think incredibly quickly,” he said. He noted that today’s footballers are far more camera-ready than previous generations, partly because many have already worked on commercial campaigns — Eberechi Eze for Burberry, Declan Rice for L’Oreal — and are acutely aware of their own image, particularly on Instagram.
Name cards were prepared for every player in the edit, Messi included, and many players reviewed their shots on set before moving on.
England’s squad did not entirely escape scrutiny. Declan Rice attracted attention for his sunburn, Anthony Gordon was compared to Princess Diana, and Dean Henderson’s expression generated its own online reaction.
By far the most talked-about portrait of the tournament, however, belongs to no player at all. Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa apparently declined to engage with the process, staring downward rather than at the camera. The resulting image, shot by Michael Regan at Uruguay’s base in Cancún, has generated more coverage than almost any other portrait. Bielsa’s subsequent response summed it up neatly: “I’m not a model.”
Jenkins told The Guardian that the Bielsa photograph was, in his view, the standout of the whole shoot. “The best portrait is one that displays the individual’s personality, and that’s why the Bielsa picture is so brilliant. It’s perfectly him.”
For the full picture on the tournament itself, visit our World Cup 2026 hub or check the live standings to follow how every team is faring.