My First NFL Game — Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns, London 2025
This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to photograph my very first NFL game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. For several years now, the NFL has brought games to Europe to connect with its growing fanbase here — and this week it was the Minnesota Vikings facing the Cleveland Browns at one of Europe’s newest and most impressive stadiums.
I travelled from my home in Portugal the day before the game and woke up early on Sunday, excited for the opportunity to cover this event for the Brazilian agency PXImages. After a classic English breakfast, I took the London Overground to White Hart Lane, arriving about three and a half hours before kick-off. The streets were already full of fans, live bands, and the buzz that only a big sporting event can bring.
At the stadium, I made my way to the media entrance, collected my gameday pass, and set up in the photographers’ workroom. I decided to leave my 400mm lens behind for now and headed back outside with my 24–70mm and 70–200mm lenses to capture some fan moments before the game.
About ten photos in, disaster struck — my Canon 1DX Mark III suddenly displayed an “Err 30” message and stopped shooting. I tried everything: removing the battery, swapping it, resetting the camera — nothing worked. The issue turned out to be a shutter failure, which meant I had to shoot the entire event with just one camera body instead of two. Lesson learned: always bring three cameras to major events!
But let’s not make this blog post about what went wrong. Once the panic faded, I switched focus to covering the game with my Canon R6 Mark II, changing lenses as needed. After capturing fans and the pre-game atmosphere, I moved onto the field to photograph player warm-ups and the crowd inside the stadium. The energy was electric — a live cover band kept the fans pumped as kickoff approached.
The game itself was a thriller. The Browns struck first with an early touchdown to lead 7–0, but the scoreline swung back and forth until the Vikings sealed the win with a dramatic late touchdown — just 30 seconds before the end of the game.
Only a limited number of photographers were allowed on the field and in the end zones, while the rest of us shot from behind the advertising boards along the sidelines. We could move from one side to the other depending on which team was attacking, but the center area was packed — 50 players, 10 coaches, water carriers, referees, and security all blocking your line of sight. The best positions were right near each end zone, where I managed to get some strong action shots despite the challenges.
I had my camera set up to send photos directly to the agency via FTP, which allowed me to focus solely on shooting while Leandro at PXImages handled editing and metadata. That workflow made everything much smoother. I also had two players — Tavierre Thomas (Vikings) and Easton Mascarenas (Browns) — who had pre-arranged to purchase images from me, so I made sure to capture good moments of both throughout the game.
Overall, it was an incredible experience. I loved the atmosphere, the organization, and the entertainment surrounding the event. An NFL game is so much more than football — it’s a full show with music, celebrities, and energy everywhere. Among those in attendance were Peter Crouch, Xavi Simons, Djed Spence, and even “Ted Lasso” himself spotted in the stands.
I absolutely loved the experience and can’t wait for another chance to photograph the NFL in Europe again soon.