Through her lens: Assam’s Gitika Talukdar to cover FIFA World Cup 2026

Gitika Talukdar, the Assamese sports photojournalist is set to cover her third consecutive Men’s FIFA World Cup- a feat achieved by very few in global sports media.

When the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico on June 11, fans across the world will be watching one of sports grandest spectacles. Among the thousands of accredited media personnel who will capture those spectacles for audience back home will be one woman from Assam- Gitika Talukdar- the only female photojournalist from India to earn FIFA’s official accreditation for the tournament.

It is a milestone that speaks not just to individual talent, but to over two decades of persistent work in one of the toughest and most competitive arenas of modern journalism.

Who is Gitika Talukdar?

Gitika Talukdar was born in Arunachal Pradesh and grew up across different Indian cities owing to her father’s transferable job. She studied in Kendriya Vidyalayas before eventually building her career in sports journalism and photography.

Her path was unconventional from the start. She later moved to South Korea to study Global sports Management at Seoul National University, where she received a scholarship from the Ministry of Sports and Culture of South Korea and conducted research on gender inequality in sport media. That academic grounding would prove prescient- Gitika herself would go on to break many of the very gender barriers she had studied.

Her career takes a look when she joined a photo news agency while also contributing to local media platforms. And over time, she shifted fully into sports journalism and sports photography. Today, she nearly has two decades of experience covering international sporting events.

A portfolio that spans continents

The breadth of Gitika’s career is staggering for any journalist, let alone one operating largely independently and far outside India’s traditional media centers. She has covered the -

· 2018 Russia World Cup

· 2019 France Women’s FIFA World Cup

· 2020 Tokyo Olympics

· 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup

· 2023 Australia Women’s FIFA World Cup

· 2026 FIFA World Cup

Her repeated FIFA accreditations stand out because access to those tournaments is highly competitive- thousands of journalists and photographers apply from all over the world for limited media spots. Being selected once is an achievement. But selected three consecutive times shows remarkable skills.

For the upcoming tournament, Talukdar will cover the mega- event beginning June 11, 2026, placing her in an elite tier of global sports media professionals. She expressed gratitude to FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and the All-India Football Federation, calling the accreditation a proud validation of years of hard work and independent effort.

Breaking barriers in male dominating field

Sports photography remains heavily male- dominated, especially at global tournaments that demands constant travel, expensive equipment and long working hours. Gitika’s journey stand out because she entered that space from Northeast India, far from country’s biggest media centres.

Her efforts have been formally recognized at the highest levels of international sport. In 2024, the International Olympic Committee directly accredited her to cover the Paris Olympics as part of its initiative to encourage women sports journalists and photographers. With this achievement, she become the first and only woman from India to receive that honor.

One of her most personally meaningful assignments came at the Tokyo Olympics, where she covered Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain – a fellow daughter from Assam- which she has described as one of her proudest moments behind the lens.

Beyond goals and glory

What sets Gitika apart is not merely the access she has secured, but how she uses it. Her photographs document athletes celebrating, fans reacting, teams under pressure, and the atmosphere around global sporting events. Her work highlights the human side of sport beyond celebrity moments. Her documentary style emphasis human emotion- capturing heartbreak, triumph, and resilience beyond the game.

It is a philosophy rooted in the belief that sport is, at its core, a deeply human story- and that the best photojournalists are those who remember to look for the person inside the athlete.

As the world’s eye turn to North America this June, Gitika Talukdar will be there, with camera in hand, doing exactly that- telling stories that go beyond the scoreboard, one frame at a time.

India may not be competing at this FIFA World Cup, but Indians continue to leave their mark on global football. Among them is Gitika Talukdar, whose journey to the tournament reflects how passion, talent, and perseverance can carry Indian voices and perspectives onto the world's grandest sporting platforms.