World Cup Wonder-Pics
A story of how limitation and restriction brought the best out of football’s photographers, showing how perseverance and creativity always comes out on top, both on and off the pitch.
Florence Pernet - October 2025
To introduce this trend in football’s captive industry, Florence Pernert deserves all the flowers she can get. An introverted girl turned innovative woman from Paris took it upon herself to follow her greatest dream: shooting live football matches, Paris-Saint-Germain and France National Team specifically. To this point, she has amassed over 130,000 followers on Instagram, working with notable brands such as Adidas and athletes such as Lamine Yamal. Despite her phenomenal portfolio, including several Olympics and other global sporting events, Pernet decided against applying for accreditation with FIFA for World Cup 2026 (rather than the common misconception that Pernet was denied access to the tournament by FIFA). In an interview with Athleta Mag, the photographer stated ‘I think in the United States it will all be huge, complex, maybe even a little crazy.’ She first believed she would watch as a fan, experiencing the tournament through her own eyes, not a lens. Clearly, this idea didn’t last too long…
“I don’t have an accreditation, but I do have my TV and my own vision”
Just over a week into the World Cup, Florence Pernet took to Instagram to share a collection of images, all showcasing various players currently staring in the U.S.A, Mexico and Canada.
Pernet had broken through the restrictions of her situation to produce a selection of unique shots, taken through her TV screen at home. In such a remarkable feat, Pernet has been poached by Portugal’s media department for a collaboration, which is now live on both accounts’ Instagram feeds for the world to see. Her success has inspired many, including smaller creators, up-and-coming photographers and even those already professionally equipped, to follow in her footsteps of glorious ingenuity.
Sidy Talla, Senegal’s official match photographer
After visa issues denied his access to Senegal’s last group game vs Iraq, Talla took matters into his own hands.
However, it is important to note that this artwork stems far beyond our modern day topic. Harry Gruyaert produced his famous ‘TV Shots’ in the 1970s, starting with generic TV shows, eventually capturing the 1972 Munich Olympics in much the same way, perhaps with slightly more finesse. Further progression of this format is sparse, with many crediting inspiration to Florence Pernet, but Pernet herself credits Matthew Johnson in her Instagram post (above). Regardless of this, what makes this trend so unique, is accessibility. All aspiring photographers can experiment in their own way, inspired by Pernet or whoever else they saw do it first.
As with all creative trends, it is not without its critics, which I believe is important to recognise. Many view this photography as ‘lazy’, ‘copying’ or even as a ‘disgrace to the industry.’ Looking online, there seems to be a balanced mix of appreciators, questioners and degraders. From a neutral perspective, most points can be validated, but it is essential to understand that most, if not all creators influenced by this trend are simply doing it for free and for fun. Pernet makes it clear that ‘full credit [should go] to the broadcast crews and directors behind the live coverage. Without them, none of these images would be possible.’ Furthermore, these images are nowhere to be found on her published portfolio, only as a source of inspiration to others on her social media pages.
To round out the message of this piece, would be to state how restrictions and difficulties can always be pushed through, or worked around. Some of the best looking media of this World Cup, not limited to the topic of this piece, has been produced by individuals finding ways to enjoy a more simplistic, accessible approach to their personal works or hobbies. I would encourage all with interest in our sport to discover these accounts and their images for yourself. There is some incredible work out there, fuelled only by the enjoyment of watching and capturing football.
