June 2025
Written by
Abbie Mason
E-commerce
Marketing strategy
Product launch
Tech
How Burger King Turned a £50k League-Two Sponsorship into a Global FIFA Take-Over
Burger King’s “Stevenage Challenge” is still a favourite case study in making a tiny outlay deliver supersized results.
For brands that need a masterclass in cost-efficient fame, here’s a closer look at the strategy, execution and impact.
The Opportunity: Underdog Meets Worldwide Game
Premier-League shirt deals can run into eight figures, but Burger King spotted a smarter route. By sponsoring Stevenage FC, then in England’s League Two, the brand reportedly spent around £50,000 to put its crown on the club’s real and digital shirts thesun.co.uk. Crucially, Stevenage already appeared in FIFA 20—giving Burger King a baked-in global media channel without paying for broadcast rights or superstar endorsements.
Why that mattered
Low barrier, high reach: FIFA’s player base sits in the tens of millions—far beyond Stevenage’s 3,000-seat stadium.
Unlimited inventory: Every time a gamer chose Stevenage, Burger King’s logo entered a new living room.
Transfer loophole: FIFA lets users sign any player to any club. That meant Ronaldo, Messi or Mbappé could end up wearing Burger King’s crest—free of charge.
The Play: The Stevenage Challenge
Burger King and agency DAVID launched a social call-to-action:
Pick Stevenage in FIFA.
Transfer world-class players into the squad.
Score a goal, screen-grab or clip it, and post with #StevenageChallenge.
Claim real-world rewards—from free Whoppers to a year of burgers oneclub.org.
The mechanic flipped a standard sponsorship into a gamified UGC engine. Suddenly, timelines were drenched in clips of global icons strutting about in Stevenage’s Burger King kit—earned media that any traditional endorsement budget would struggle to match.
The Scoreline: Results that Beat the Bookies
25,000+ user-generated goals shared – campaignlive.co.uk
≈1.2 billion media impressions – castle.co.uk
Most-played team in Career Mode in FIFA ranking – campaignlive.co.uk
Replica shirts sold out for the first time ever in retail lift – medium.com
Cannes Lions Direct Grand Prix + multiple golds in Industry recognition – contagious.comadweek.com
A £50k stake translated into a media valuation running into the millions—and handed Burger King another award-shelf highlight.
Why It Worked
Platform Hijack
Burger King didn’t chase audiences; it embedded itself in a game they already loved. FIFA provided global distribution at zero incremental cost.Free A-List Endorsement
The transfer feature weaponised fandom. Every time a gamer moved a superstar to Stevenage, Burger King inherited that player’s clout—no contracts, no image-rights cheques.Reward-Driven Content Loop
Real food for virtual goals turned players into brand advocates. UGC poured in, fuelling algorithmic reach the brand didn’t have to pay to push.Underdog Narrative
Journalists adore a David-v-Goliath story. A tiny club becoming “the biggest team online” guaranteed editorial coverage that extended the cycle.
Lessons for Marketers
Look for undervalued assets: The next big sponsorship win might lurk in League Two, the WSL—or any niche already coded into a global platform.
Exploit built-in mechanics: What “transfer window” exists in your category that could give you celebrity reach for pennies?
Trade spend for participation: Tangible rewards tied to shareable actions manufacture organic reach faster than most media plans.
Back the long-tail: Post-campaign, Stevenage locked in new fans and merchandise sales; Burger King kept app sign-ups flowing via ongoing food offers.
Final Whistle
Burger King’s partnership with Stevenage FC proves that you don’t need Premier-League pockets to dominate the conversation—you need a sharp insight, the right platform hack, and a reward that nudges audiences to do your advertising for you. In a media economy where attention is the tightest currency, this case remains a benchmark for budget-efficient fame. Ready to engineer your own underdog upset? Get in touch—La La Communications helps brands turn small spends into big stories.