The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off this week, and the film world had a small opening match of its own. On May 27, Harman Technology, Ilford's parent company, released two Football Collector's Editions: HP5 Plus, the star player of ISO 400 black-and-white, and XP2 Super from the chromogenic side.

What the limited edition actually is

Let's be clear first. The film inside has not changed. The emulsion, the speed and the processing are all the same as regular HP5 Plus and XP2 Super. There is no limited-edition marking on the cassettes either. The only thing that changed is the paper box. It now carries black-and-white photographs by Miles Myerscough-Harris, a photographer who shoots football on film.

Front of the HP5 Plus Football Edition carton. A red ILFORD HP5 PLUS logo is printed over a black-and-white football photograph.
Front of the HP5 Plus Football Edition carton.
Front of the XP2 Super Football Edition carton. A blue ILFORD XP2 SUPER logo is printed over a black-and-white football photograph.
Front of the XP2 Super Football Edition carton.
Back of the XP2 Super carton. Along with the film specs, it carries the photographer's credit and a caption for the photo on the package.
The back of the carton carries the photographer's credit and a caption for the shot. XP2 Super Football Edition.

The name Expired Film Club

He is better known on Instagram and TikTok as Expired Film Club. Close to 2.5 million followers combined watch his feed of the NBA, Major League Baseball, snooker, tennis and football, all shot on vintage film cameras. He is also known for taking a panoramic film camera more than a century old to Old Trafford and shooting a Manchester United vs. Liverpool match exactly the way it would have been done in the 1890s.

Explaining the release, Harman sales director Giles Branthwaite said, "With a World Cup around the corner, and as a company full of football (soccer) fans, we wanted to celebrate football fever by teaming up with Miles on this project." Limited edition or not, it will be supplied through film retailers worldwide over the coming months. It has reached Korea as well.

Side of the HP5 Plus carton. Another black-and-white football shot runs along the side.
Side of the HP5 Plus carton. A different shot continues along the side panel.

Same ISO 400, different processing routes

The pairing of these two films is interesting. Both are black-and-white at the same speed, but they take different routes through processing. HP5 Plus goes through traditional black-and-white development (the eternal basic for home developers), while XP2 Super is a C-41 chromogenic film you can drop off at any color lab. If you want to start shooting black-and-white but the nearest black-and-white lab is far away, XP2 is your answer. If you believe black-and-white includes the smell of the chemicals, there is HP5. With the World Cup as an excuse, it is a good pair for trying both routes side by side.

HP5 Plus and XP2 Super Football Edition cartons stacked left and right, with black-and-white football photographs by Miles Myerscough-Harris, shot on vintage film cameras, laid between them.
The HP5 Plus and XP2 Super Football Editions, shown with the black-and-white football photographs by Miles Myerscough-Harris used on the packaging.

How to feel about a limited edition where only the packaging changes is always a divisive question. This edition, though, has a clear direction. Photographs by someone who shoots sports on film have become the face of that film. If it gives you one more reason to press the shutter, the box has done its job. Boxes are made to be torn open anyway, and the 36 frames inside are the same dependable ISO 400 as always.

Sources
PetaPixel, Kosmo Foto, Digital Camera World, Amateur Photographer, and official ILFORD Photo material.
@expiredfilmclub ↗ · ilfordphoto.com ↗