Seattle singles got a World Cup boost
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World Cup wooing. Photo: Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Turns out the World Cup was good for Seattle's dating life.
Why it matters: The global soccer tournament may have thawed the Seattle Freeze — at least for a few weeks.
By the numbers: 84% of Seattle singles said the World Cup made the city more fun to be single — the highest share of any U.S. host city, according to a new DatingAdvice.com survey.
- Nearly 4 in 10 Seattle singles said they went on a date or hooked up with a World Cup visitor.
The intrigue: An influx of international visitors on our streets and in our bars certainly didn't hurt.
- 1 in 4 U.S. host city respondents said they'd most like to date someone from Argentina or Brazil.
Zoom in: We asked a few Seattleites grabbing after-work drinks at the Diller Room what they thought of the city's No. 1 ranking.
- "It was nice having conversations with people who were outgoing," Michael Findlay told Axios. "It was nice seeing people who were smiling, flirting and dressed nicely."
- Findlay didn't think the World Cup produced a wave of lasting romances.
- But in a city where dating can feel especially tough, he said, the tournament's good vibes and a bigger dating pool may have made Seattleites feel they were "getting lucky."
Bryn Gribben told us the tournament gave Seattle permission to stop taking itself so seriously.
- "It's good to see Seattle engaging with the world," she said. "And see that we can put down our problems, we can laugh at ourselves and we can have fun."
- "The Seattle Freeze melted," added her friend Vanessa Villavicencio.
The bottom line: The World Cup visitors gave the city something Seattle isn't known for: a reason to smile at strangers.