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What Is ‘Messi-ng’? The World Cup Dating Trend Behind a Spike in Matches.

Lionel Messi is inspiring singles to “shoot their shot” both on and off the field.

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There’s been an uptick in dating app usage this summer—and experts think the World Cup has something to do with it. 

According to a recent article on Mashable, “Compared to the same time last year, the dating app has seen increases in Swipes, Likes, and matches across World Cup host cities. The U.S. is seeing over a 15 percent increase in users, around a 25 percent increase in Swipe activity, and nearly a 60 percent increase in matches compared to June 2025.”

People are actually calling this dating phenomenon “Messi-ng”—you know, after soccer star Lionel Messi. It seems he’s inspiring singles to “shoot their shot” both on and off the field.

What Even Is ‘Messi-ng’?

Messi-ng describes the increase in dating app usage amid the World Cup. But why, exactly, are more people interested in apps like Tinder this summer? It might just be the influx of fans,........

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