Canada exclusive! Toronto Life reveals winners of global photography competition showcasing powerful images from 2022 FIFA World Cup
Under One Sky explores the enduring communal power of sport through a global collection of photographs
This summer, the FIFA World Cup does something it has never done before: it unfolds across three nations at once. For the first time in the tournament’s history, Canada, the United States and Mexico are co-hosting a landmark edition that promises to be the most expansive the sport has ever seen, and one that puts Canadian cities, including Toronto, firmly at the centre of the world’s attention.
For Torontonians, the World Cup arrived not only as a sporting event but also as a cultural moment that stretches far beyond the pitch into a series of events across the city. The year-long Qatar, Canada and Mexico 2026 Years of Culture is a far-reaching initiative that builds meaningful partnerships between Qatar and rotating nations around the world through art, design, film, gastronomy, education and, of course, sport. The soccer connection is no accident: Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first ever held in the Arab world, and the Years of Culture program threads that legacy into cultural projects that explore the tournament’s lasting impact on people and communities around the world.
One such project is Tasweer Photo Festival Qatar’s Under One Sky, a curated online photography collection that is as expansive as its title suggests. Produced in partnership with Years of Culture as well as the Qatar Museums’ Art in Embassies program, the photography selection is a result of a global open call to photographers to share images from the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, which were then narrowed down by a jury. The winning photographs are available to view on the Tasweer web site.
The resulting 19-image collection is a visual record of the universal emotional experience of fandom: the surge of fans through Doha’s streets, the electricity inside packed stadiums, the simultaneous celebrations unfolding in living rooms and fan zones around the world.
Right: Jomy George (India). Click to Memorize | In the fan zone at Al Bidda Park, Doha, following Argentina’s FIFA World Cup victory, three individuals pause for an impromptu photograph, a spontaneous convergence of strangers united by the shared ecstasy of a historic night. The image is unplanned and unrepeatable, a record of the particular way in which major sporting events collapse the distance between people, producing moments of genuine connection that outlast the tournament itself. Holding the Argentine flag, the figures embody the spirit of a celebration that spread far beyond the stadium.
“Our aim in organizing the photocall was to preserve and extend the spirit of togetherness that defined the 2022 tournament,” said Khalifa Al Obaidly, director of the Tasweer Photo Festival Qatar. “Culture is a shared experience that brings people closer together. These images remind us that even in the briefest moments, connection can transcend language and geography.”
Middle: Mariam Alkawaja (Qatar). Funny Rooster | Inside a stadium charged with the energy of international competition, a French supporter registers the full emotional arc of the match, his expression a study in devotion. Wearing the iconic rooster emblem, a symbol of French national identity since the medieval period, he represents a lineage of footballing loyalty that stretches far beyond the 90 minutes of play. The photograph isolates from the crowd this single figure, a bearer of pride, memory and collective belonging.
Right: Gerardo Gerry Sienra (Mexico). Passion Without Borders | Two supporters rise above the surrounding crowd in a stadium alive with tens of thousands of voices, their vibrant traditionally inspired attire a declaration of identity as much as allegiance. Raised fists and expressions of unrestrained joy position them against the vast sweep of the stadium, its lights, its density, its shared atmosphere of anticipation. The photograph suggests that in football, the stands are as much a stage as the pitch, that culture, pride and emotion find their fullest expression not only in play, but in the presence of those who witness it.
Each photograph is accompanied by photographer notes that expand upon the captured moment. “At its core, the selection carries a simple message: wherever we come from, we share the same sky, and through shared experiences like football, new connections can begin,” said Dr. Aisha Abdulla Hamad Al Misnad, deputy director of special projects at Years of Culture.
Right: Rishad Purath (India). Cultural Connections Through Henna | Captured at Souq Waqif during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, this image documents a moment of cross-cultural encounter in the heart of Doha’s most storied marketplace. A visitor from Mexico receives the traditional art of henna from a local artisan while her companion records the exchange, a quiet choreography of curiosity, craft and connection. Set against the layered heritage architecture of the souq, the photograph reflects how a global sporting event can dissolve distance between peoples, transforming a single artistic gesture into a meditation on shared humanity.
Qatar is a small but globally connected nation on the Arabian Peninsula, one that has invested significantly in cultural institutions, emerging creative talent and international exchange over the past two decades. In January 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney made the first-ever visit by a sitting Canadian prime minister to Qatar, announcing a new strategic partnership. The Years of Culture initiative is, in many ways, the living expression of that ambition: programming that spans continents and connects communities in ways that outlast any single event or season.
