Pizza rules the roost as Italy shoots and scores in Just Eat's unofficial 2026 World Cup of Takeaways
Italy may not have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, but the country's cuisine was at least the winner of the unofficial 'World Cup of Takeaways', after pizza emerged as the most consistently ordered food during fixtures across six markets.
Analysing ordering behaviour during World Cup matches across Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, England, Belgium and Canada, Just Eat Takeaway.com found that, while national teams experienced mixed fortunes on the pitch, fans were remarkably united in what they chose to eat at home.
Pizza ranked among the leading cuisines in every market analysed, topping the rankings in most countries and making Italian cuisine the standout culinary winner of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Japan's World Cup campaign ended in the round of 32, but Japanese cuisine enjoyed a far longer run at the dinner table. Sushi emerged as one of the tournament's standout performers in northern Europe, with four of the Netherlands' five most ordered restaurants during World Cup fixtures serving sushi, while German consumers also showed a strong appetite for Japanese food.
While pizza united football fans across markets, local tastes continued to shine through. Mediterranean cuisine performed particularly strongly during Spain's late night fixtures, grilled food proved especially popular in Switzerland, and Belgian fans gravitated towards traditional frituur favourites during key matches. Elsewhere, co-host Canada appeared to embrace the tournament spirit, with fans showing some culinary solidarity with their neighbours as American food topped the match day menu.
The research also highlights how major sporting events continue to influence consumer behaviour. Germany recorded the strongest average uplift in match day ordering (+8.9%), while England's Round of 32 victory saw a 15.5% increase from the previous week. Across countries, decisive knockout fixtures consistently generated the biggest increases in delivery demand, with grocery, drinks and desserts also seeing significant spikes as fans prepared to watch from home.
A spokesperson at Just Eat Takeaway.com, says: "Football fans may support different teams, but when it came to food, there was one clear winner. While Italy wasn't competing on the pitch this summer, Italian cuisine became the match day meal of choice across countries."
“What's particularly interesting is how major sporting moments bring both shared and local behaviours into focus. Pizza emerged as the clear favourite, but we also saw distinct local preferences - from sushi's popularity in northern Europe to Mediterranean cuisine in Spain - showing that while football brings people together, local food preferences continue to shape how they celebrate."
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
On demand delivery will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
