Joel Williams, a 28-year-old Panamanian midfielder who missed out on a World Cup 2026 call-up, will attend his nation's clash with England on Saturday night as a photographer. Williams, who plays for Union Cocle FC in the top tier of Panamanian football, has been covering his national team from the sidelines after failing to make head coach Thomas Christiansen's squad.
From Footballer to Photographer
Williams has already photographed Panama's two opening Group L defeats against Ghana and Croatia. Despite his disappointment at being overlooked, he chose not to dwell on the setback. "It's not common for a photographer to be a footballer as well – a footballer competing at the very top level in the Panamanian league," Williams told Mundo Deportivo. "I've been lucky enough to be able to pursue this business, this job, this hobby, this love, this passion – whatever you want to call it – that God has given me."
Williams's photography business, Erudito Photo Sports, has effectively become his own agency. He explained that inconsistent playing time at his club kept him off Christiansen's radar. "I can't say I didn't hold out hope that Christiansen would call me up for the World Cup. In football, you can never rule anything out; football takes many twists and turns. But I can't say I was on his radar because I was having issues with playing time at the club."
A Late Start in Photography
Remarkably, Williams did not pick up a camera until he was 21, when his father, a church singer, bought him one to edit music videos for his Christian songs. "My dad is a pastor in Panama and wanted me to make his music videos. But, to this day, incredibly, I haven't made a single video for him," Williams said with a grin.
Despite his dual career, Williams remains committed to football and has not given up on making the next World Cup squad. "Playing in the next World Cup? Well, it's possible; anything is possible in the name of Jesus. Whatever you set your mind to here on Earth, with God's help, you can achieve," he said. "If you prepare yourself, make sacrifices… sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get where you want to be."
Return to Panama After England Game
Williams faces the heartbreak of returning to Panama after the England game, as he has already missed pre-season with his club and must return before the Apertura Tournament starts in mid-July. "I have to go back to Panama on the 29th if we don't get through to the next round," he said before Panama was officially eliminated. "If we do get through, things get a bit complicated for me football-wise, because I have to be back in Panama before July 1."
He added, "I had a bit of a chat with the team and the manager; I think they told me to go and report for duty. So, there's a way forward there. I've got a team, which is the important thing, and we'll see how things pan out abroad. We've got to keep working."
