The 2026 World Cup has had no shortage of dramatic moments on the pitch. But action off the field for visitors and Americans is also heating up as the final matches draw closer.
In the 11 host cities throughout the United States, an influx of international tourists has changed the dating game. Data from the apps Tinder and Feeld shows that overall activity is increasing, with mentions of “soccer” skyrocketing, while singles across America report that love is in the air, thanks to the tournament.
Connecting online
Feeld’s data from earlier this week shows that soccer has become a key point of connection for users—across the board, but particularly in U.S. host cities. In New York City, for example, there’s been an 88% increase in Feeld users mentioning “soccer” among their interests compared with the same period last year.
More broadly, users across the U.S. have shown a whopping 97% increase in mentions of “soccer,” “FIFA,” and “World Cup” in their profiles year over year. That builds on earlier data from Feeld about the fastest-growing interests among Gen Z, with sports claiming eight of the top 10 spots and “soccer” specifically seeing a 600% increase in interest.
The World Cup seems to be serving as more than just a pickup line, with Feeld reporting significant increases in the number of meaningful connections formed on game days in various host cities, including jumps of 9% in Miami and Kansas City, compared with the daily average.
Tinder is also seeing an activity boost around the sporting event, logging a 15% increase in total users and approximately 25% more swiping activity in the first few weeks of the World Cup.
Off of the apps
Matches on dating apps are one thing, but turning those digital connections into in-person dates is another game entirely. Host city residents are doing pretty well there, too, with a survey from DatingAdvice.com finding that nearly half of all singles in U.S. host cities (44%) say they’ve already gone on a date or hooked up with a World Cup visitor. About a third of singles say their dating activity has significantly increased since the start of the World Cup.
Overall, the tournament’s been a major boost to singles’ love lives, with 68% of single host-city residents reporting that their dating lives have seen major improvements during the World Cup. More than three-quarters of those surveyed said the World Cup has made their city’s dating scene more fun.
What makes international tourists so attractive? Survey respondents said that World Cup visitors’ most attractive qualities include the opportunity to learn about another culture, their shared love of soccer, their accents, their physical appearances, and their sense of adventure, in that order. Respondents also said that Brazilian soccer fans are the most attractive, followed by Argentinians and Australians.