Football Goes Vertical as Studio Birthplace Turns a Rainforest Canopy into a Pitch for WWF's "Team Forest"

Jun. 09, 2026

Studio Birthplace turned a rainforest in Indonesia into a vertical football pitch, sending players sprinting across the forest floor, scaling towering tree trunks and traversing the rainforest canopy in the new film “Team Forest”. Created with WWF ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the campaign harnesses football's global appeal to rally support for the protection and restoration of forests.

The film invites audiences to see the rainforest through a different lens: as the field of play itself. With professional footballers and stunt performers navigating the landscape in extraordinary ways, transforming the forest from backdrop to pitch, the film reframes one of our most vital ecosystems as a shared home ground in need of protection.

Staging a football match in the rainforest canopy presented a unique set of challenges. Working closely with an expert stunt team, production tested a range of rigging systems and movements to create action that felt both safe and spectacular. Equally critical was protecting the forest itself during filming. Special scaffolding was installed above the vegetation to minimise environmental impact while providing a safe working platform for cast and crew.

Balancing the physical constraints of the rigging systems with the need for dynamic, high-energy movement required close collaboration between the creative and stunt teams. Every sequence demanded precise timing, choreography and coordination between performers, rigging operators and camera crews, ultimately helping to shape the film's distinctive visual language.

Sil van der Woerd & Jorik Dozy, Co-Founders and Directors, Studio Birthplace.

Alea Rahim, Executive Producer, Studio Birthplace said:

"At a time when AI-generated content is everywhere, it felt important to create something human. This project — the film and the wider campaign — was built through real collaboration. That collective effort is what made it special."

 

A project of this scale and complexity relies on the contribution of a number of trusted collaborators, including co-producer Baby Tamba, whose production support was instrumental throughout the shoot, and longtime collaborator Cody Amos of Heckler, Singapore.

Combining ambitious live-action performance with visual effects, the film showcases the stunning beauty of one of the world's most important ecosystems. It also highlights a critical message: tropical forests are under threat and safeguarding them requires collective action – a game we all need to play, together.

Sil van der Woerd & Jorik Dozy, Co-Founders and Directors, Studio Birthplace said:

“So much environmental communication is built around loss and urgency, and while those realities are important, we wanted to approach this story differently, with positivity. Team Forest is about inviting people in rather than confronting them. By celebrating the beauty, power and wonder of forests through the universal language of football, we hope to inspire people to feel connected to what they're protecting.”

 

As part of this campaign, Studio Birthplace created a platform to visualise collective action. Team Forest brings together people from around the world in support of forests, ecosystems and wildlife, turning individual commitment into a visible global movement. Every new supporter adds to that collective effort.

To join Team Forest, visit panda.org/teamforest. Create a personalised avatar and become part of a visible global movement for our forests. The platform highlights the importance of forest ecosystems and provides practical actions to help protect and restore them.

Campaign images, video stills, behind the scenes film, and additional media assets are available in this Press Package.

WWF: Healthy Forests, Healthy Future.

Forests are among our most valuable natural assets. From the oxygen they produce to the medicines they hold, they are critical to human health. They are home to many Indigenous Peoples and local communities, with over 1.6 billion people living in and around forests and directly depending on them for fuel, food and medicines. Forests are home to more than half of all land species and absorb around one-third of global CO₂ emissions each year. 

Forests have been at the heart of WWF’s work for half a century – working with communities and partners to support the conservation of forest landscapes, moving the forest sector towards sustainability, and working across the world to halt deforestation. There is strong global momentum for forests protection - Team Forest aims to galvanize this growing movement and spur more action.

Kirsten Schuijt, WWF Director General, said:

“Football is for everyone and so are our forests. No matter where you are from, forests are foundational to life. But forests are in trouble and they urgently need our support. As the world comes together for the Football World Cup, we invite everyone to join Team Forest and root for these critical ecosystems that sustain us. Let's play for the home ground we all share”