How Deliveroo Turned a Lookalike Competition into a Global World Cup Moment

Overview

As England entered the decisive stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Jude Bellingham had become one of the tournament’s defining cultural figures, driving conversation far beyond the pitch.

At the same time, London was sweltering in 30°C heat. Deliveroo and Coolr spotted an opportunity to connect the two: the internet was thirsty for Jude, while the city was thirsty for refreshment.

The result was ‘Send Judes’, a live Jude Bellingham lookalike competition at Boxpark Shoreditch, amplified through creators, social and PR, with Deliveroo handing out free ice-cold drinks.

Brief 

Deliveroo wanted to create a reactive World Cup activation that could move from social conversation into real-world participation. The campaign needed to:

– Deliver at least 500K social views
– Generate organic social conversation and earned media
– Give audiences something worth attending, filming and sharing
– Reinforce Deliveroo’s role in match-day culture

Audience

The World Cup had become one of the summer’s defining cultural moments, extending far beyond football through creators, memes, fan edits and online humour.

The opportunity was to reach socially active Gen Z and Millennial audiences aged 18 – 35 who were shaping the tournament conversation in real time. Jude Bellingham had become one of its defining online personalities, giving Deliveroo a natural entry point into culture.

Insight 

The biggest sporting moments no longer play out only on the pitch. They unfold across social, where creators and audiences shape the conversation in real time.

Deliveroo and Coolr saw the opportunity to connect two conversations: Jude’s growing cultural obsession and London’s heatwave.

This insight was reinforced by previous Deliveroo social content centred on Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland’s friendship, which had generated particularly strong engagement and a highly positive audience response.

The internet was thirsty for Jude. London was thirsty for refreshment.

Idea

Deliveroo created ‘Send Judes’, turning the internet’s fascination with Jude Bellingham into a live event and the world’s first Jude lookalike contest, designed to be joined, filmed and shared.

The brand invited London to Boxpark Shoreditch for a Jude Bellingham lookalike competition, giving audiences the chance to move from online spectators to active participants.

The campaign launched publicly just 24 hours before the event. Posters calling for “Judes” appeared across London, while TikTok, Instagram, creators and PR built anticipation and encouraged people to attend.

On the day, hundred fans gathered to watch, film and debate which contestant looked most like the England star, while Deliveroo handed out free ice-cold drinks.

The winning lookalike received £1,966 in Deliveroo credit, a nod to England’s 1966 World Cup victory, before a surprise Erling Haaland lookalike appeared to present the prize.

Activation

‘Send Judes’ was created to feel like internet culture rather than advertising interrupting it.

Launched on the day of England’s World Cup semi-final, the activation landed at Boxpark Shoreditch, one of London’s biggest football fan zones. Posters recruiting ‘Judes’ and teaser content quickly sparked speculation, spreading through group chats, triggering calendar holds and even prompting requests for a later start time.

Every element was designed to keep the energy building: contestant reveals, crowd vox pops, free drinks, football cards and the final winner reveal.

The format was instantly understandable. Thirteen Jude Bellingham lookalikes arrived, eight reached the final and crowds gathered to cheer, debate and capture the moment for social.

The public became the cast, camera crew and distribution network.

Creators, entertainment pages and media outlets then retold the story in their own voices, helping the campaign travel far beyond Deliveroo’s channels. Responsive community management kept the momentum alive as audiences, publishers and brands piled into the conversation.

RESULTS

– Social Views: 58M+
– TikTok Views: 20.4M+
– Views on X: 16.5M 
– Media Reach: 213M
– Instagram Views: 20.1M+
– Pieces of content: ~200


The target was 500K social views. ‘Send Judes’ delivered more than 58 million.

A Local Activation with Global Reach

The story moved rapidly from social feeds into global press, television and radio, with coverage from CNN, The Guardian, Sky News, Metro, The Independent, 7News Australia, ABC7 Los Angeles and BBC Radio 1.

It reached 1.5 million BBC Radio 1 listeners and 355,000 viewers through 7News Australia, with coverage spanning the UK, US, France, Indonesia, Mexico, India, Australia and beyond. Deliveroo’s best-performing owned TikTok added a further 2.3 million views and 216,000 likes.

One Creator. 21 Million Views.

A recap posted by @auxueyi became the campaign’s biggest single social moment, generating 10.7 million TikTok views and 11.2 million Instagram views.

The content succeeded because it captured the event through the audience’s own perspective. It demonstrated the strength of the idea without depending entirely on Deliveroo’s paid or owned distribution.

Why it worked

‘Send Judes’ succeeded because it did more than react to a conversation – it transformed a cultural moment into something audiences could actively join.

The idea was simple, instantly recognisable and rooted in genuine audience behaviour. By connecting Jude Bellingham’s online popularity with Deliveroo’s role in keeping people refreshed, the brand created a natural reason to participate.

The experience was entertaining without being over-branded, giving fans, creators and publishers a moment they wanted to capture and share.

Rather than commenting on the World Cup conversation, Deliveroo created a new moment within it.

Deliveroo did not simply join the World Cup conversation.
It gave people a reason to become part of it..