As a cohost of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the United States has welcomed hundreds of thousands of international sports fans since the matches began earlier this month. Those tourists have found plenty to love about the U.S., including the fast food, the natural beauty, and—as a recent spike in dating app activity proves—the locals looking for love.
Tinder is reporting big increases in activity in World Cup host cities compared to the same time last year. Among international users, the dating app saw an average 47% increase in activity across the 16 host cities for this year’s matches in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
It’s not just the tourists that are swiping up a storm. Tinder also saw a 22% increase in domestic users across the 16 host cities during the same period.
More broadly, compared with June of 2025, Tinder in the U.S. is seeing a 15% increase in users, an approximately 25% increase in swipe activity on the platform, and almost 60% more matches. The World Cup seems to have everyone in the mood for romance, even as their home teams are battling it out on the field.
Locals and tourists with a common goal
Beyond Tinder’s internal data, discourse on social media and firsthand testimonies show that the World Cup is an international aphrodisiac.
On TikTok, single women are encouraging their followers to seize the opportunity and get involved with tourists.
“If the World Cup is in your city, why are you trying to date someone from your city?” one creator wondered, imagining her dream scenario. “It’s giving hostel vibes. It’s giving, ‘I’m here for a good time, not a long time.’ It’s giving, ‘I met your dad in the FIFA World Cup 2026.’”
“The World Cup is your oyster,” another user advised “single baddies” on TikTok. “You’re gonna have professional athletes, international men, at your disposal. . . . This World Cup is your World Cup.”
Other single women told the New York Post about their plans to connect with visitors to the U.S., and to do so via dating apps. A resident of Dallas, one of this year’s host cities, said she’d downloaded Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble again for the occasion.
“This is such an exciting time for us single girlies,” she said. “I’ve been updating my profile with new summertime pictures, photos of me in my Team USA and Team Mexico soccer jerseys.”
Meanwhile, tourists are just as curious about getting to know Americans. A June 2026 survey found that 39% of World Cup vacationers (more than half of whom are men) plan to spend their free time “meeting local people,” and the spike in Tinder usage suggests they’re looking for more than platonic connections.
Sports and singles go hand in hand
This year’s World Cup is far from the first time dating apps have experienced a bump from athletic activity. During the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Tinder saw a 25% increase in Swipe activity across France, plus a 105% increase in usage of Passport Mode in Paris, which lets out-of-towners find Matches from a distance.
Athletes themselves are also notorious for connecting in the Olympic Village, with some dating apps having special policies in place in anticipation. Grindr, for example, has put privacy protections in place at the past two Winter Olympics and at the most recent Summer Olympics to allow LGBTQ+ athletes to use the app without being outed by non-Olympians.
In general, sports and sporting events are an increasingly key connection point for singles. A 2025 study by the dating app Feeld tracked Gen Z’s fastest-growing interests, and sports claimed eight out of the top 10 spots. Soccer specifically saw an increase in interest of almost 600% compared to the previous year.
The study provided commentary from Luke Brunning, a professor of ethics at the University of Leeds, who explained why sports are becoming a key factor in modern dating.
“An emphasis on experiences, being sociable, and forging intimacy through structured activities and clubs helps understand why more people are vocal about sport,” Brunning said. “Add to that the growing representation of women in sport, as well as the visibility of nonmainstream sports on social media, and cultural emphasis on wellness, fitness, and health, and the stage is set for sport to take a more prominent place in dating.”
