For nearly five decades, Darla Kelly has been telling sports stories using her camera. She has photographed the Olympic Games and countless college competitions across the United States, including NCAA championship tournaments. Together with her husband Robert, she has run her own sports media outlet for more than 30 years: he writes the stories, she takes the pictures.

The 69-year-old has also spent 47 years working as a teacher and coach at a high school in Pasadena, Texas. She plans to retire at the end of the next school year, although she’s not particularly keen on the word and prefers to call it her “graduation”. “I’m too young to just sit on the porch like an old person,” she says with a laugh.

Despite a rich career, Kelly has been waiting to add one more notch to her belt: shooting the FIFA World Cup™.

The fact that her World Cup debut is taking place in her hometown of Houston, Texas makes the moment even more special. “I absolutely love it,” she says. “Seeing people from all over the world and they’re having such a great time.”

Since the founding of Houston Dynamo, she has been snapping the club with her camera and has witnessed football’s growing popularity in the city. Now, the beautiful game’s global showpiece has come to town with the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

Goals and emotions in focus

For Tamulitis Kelly, a World Cup is about far more than sporting results. She loves the atmosphere in the stands and witnessing the cultural exchange between supporters from different countries.

“We, of course, here in Texas, want to treat everybody nice. We are so welcoming,” she says. “I hear that the reviews are pretty good from the visitors now; that they’re liking Texas.”

Her personal tournament highlight so far has been Cristiano Ronaldo’s opening goal for Portugal against Uzbekistan. “It was almost like his face lit up, and he was just saying to all of us: ‘I’m back. I’m here: don’t count me out.’”

Those are exactly the kinds of moments that continue to inspire her passion for sports photography. “I know that he and Lionel Messi are paid huge amounts of money. I know they are, but deep down, they are young men who are playing a sport and they have heart; they have the love of the sport.”

On the subject of seasoned stalwarts, one such player she would especially love to speak with is Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. She first photographed the 40-year-old when he was a teenager and still regularly sees him at international matches in Houston. “He always looks at me and smiles,” she says with a grin, quipping that the shot-stopper must recognise her “because it’s kind of hard to miss the white hair”.

And who is Kelly tipping to become world champions? Although her heart was with the now-eliminated Netherlands because of her Dutch roots, she thinks the odds are in favour of France, and of course she would also be delighted to see the USA lift the trophy.

What matters most to her in the end is not who wins but being able to witness the stories as they unfold and record the fleeting moments for posterity. Even after she “graduates”, this long-time teacher, coach and fan is unlikely to put down her camera.