​MIAMI (AP) — Rebecca Blackwell is an AP photojournalist based in Miami. Before relocating to South Florida in 2021, she spent seven years working in Mexico and a decade in West Africa. She has covered multiple World Cups and Olympics for The Associated Press, alongside major news stories in the United States and around the world. One of the most enjoyable aspects of covering a World Cup for me is witnessing the joyful, inclusive celebrations by fans from so many different nations. With my own country hosting, it has been wonderful to see more Americans join in and appreciate the distinctive energy that makes the World Cup such a special experience. The Norway supporters have become one of the standout stories, especially their Viking row, performed by dozens or even hundreds of fans dressed in red. When I learned Norway would play in Miami, I started monitoring social media for any sign of a planned gathering. When an announcement appeared about two Viking rows taking place in Miami Beach the day before Norway’s quarterfinal loss to England, I knew I wanted to cover it.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I anticipated crowds and a bit of chaos. I packed two cameras and a range of prime lenses, from 14mm to 135mm. The first row of the day was attended by Miami Beach officials. The crowd was dense, particularly with spectators, but I managed to climb onto a city fire truck to capture wide shots of fans rowing alongside the mayor. After the afternoon row, I stayed for a few hours into the evening row, hoping for different angles and perhaps some favorable lighting. As the time approached, the crowd tightened and the center of the action became less clear. With hundreds of Norway fans ready to take part and hundreds of bystanders pushing in around them with cellphones raised, I realized it would be difficult to find a ground-level position that could convey the scale of the crowd or place them in the context of Miami Beach.
As the chanting began, I determined that another strategy was more effective and gradually found my way back through the dense crowd, circling to a building I had spotted earlier. Some fans who remained there graciously allowed me to ascend to the roof with them. From that vantage point I could shoot wide frames showing the fans filling Ocean Drive, with palm trees and the beach in the background, as well as tighter shots of the chants and rows in action. The image works because of the tightly packed sea of red shirts, the uniformity of turnout, and, especially, the moment when so many people raised their arms in unison toward the drummer and the megaphone-led chant.
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