An NFL dating survey published by DatingAdvice.com on November 10, 2026, found that 60% of Gen Z respondents say football-related activities make meeting potential dates easier. The research examined single football fans across 15 NFL markets, revealing how games, watch parties, and team loyalty are becoming part of some singles’ dating lives.
Across all age groups, 45% said football activities make meeting someone easier, while 31% reported increased dating or hookup activity during the season. For Gen Z specifically, 52% said their romantic activity picks up during football season, a higher share than any other generation surveyed.
The football connection goes beyond flirting from across a sports bar. Overall, 29% of respondents said they had dated or hooked up with someone they met through an NFL-related activity.
Millennials were the most likely to have taken that step, with 40% reporting a romantic or physical connection through football. Gen Z followed at 34%, compared with 28% of Gen X and 8% of baby boomers.
So where are these connections happening?
Sports bars ranked first, with 27% of respondents identifying them as the best setting for meeting romantic interests through football. Watch parties followed at 19%, while tailgates received 16%.
These settings offer something dating apps cannot provide by themselves: an opportunity to see how someone interacts with other people. Whether it’s cheering after a touchdown, talking through a questionable call, or meeting friends of friends at a watch party, football gives strangers a shared activity before any romantic interest develops.
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Still, the NFL dating survey suggests football can also help people make connections online.
Among dating app users surveyed, 38% reported getting a match because someone mentioned football or a favorite NFL team. A team reference can provide an opening conversation, especially when both people already follow the sport.
The geographic findings showed particularly strong results in Miami, Atlanta, and New York.
Miami led the surveyed markets for increased dating or hookup activity during football season at 48%. New York and Atlanta tied for second at 47%.
Atlanta, however, ranked first when respondents were asked whether football makes meeting potential dates easier. An impressive 67% answered yes, followed by Denver at 53% and Miami at 52%.
Miami also led another category: 43% of respondents there had previously dated or hooked up with someone they met through football. Atlanta followed at 41%, with New York at 37%.
Team loyalty appears to influence attraction, too.
The NFL dating survey found that 61% of respondents consider someone more attractive when they support the same team. Among Gen Z, that figure climbed to 73%.
Atlanta recorded the highest same-team attraction rate among the 15 markets, at 79%. Miami followed at 72%, while Detroit reached 67%.
However, cheering for opposite teams does not automatically end someone’s chances. Only 5% of respondents considered dating a rival-team supporter a dealbreaker. Another 54% said dating a rival fan would not bother them.
The findings also suggest personality can outweigh team allegiance. When asked about appealing qualities in a football-watching partner, 30% favored someone who is fun to watch games with, compared with 19% who prioritized supporting the same team and 14% who valued football knowledge.
Then came one of the survey’s more entertaining findings: which NFL fanbases singles find attractive.
Dallas Cowboys fans topped the overall attractiveness selections at 20%. Atlanta Falcons fans followed at 13%, while Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills fans each received 12%.
Cowboys supporters also led the overall dating and hookup preference rankings at 16%, narrowly ahead of Bills fans at 15%. Falcons and Chiefs fans each received 12%, followed by Steelers fans at 11%.
Gen Z had different preferences. Among younger respondents, 21% selected Falcons fans as among the most attractive, while 22% chose Bills fans as people they would most like to date or hook up with.
Hometown loyalty was especially pronounced in Buffalo, where 88% of surveyed residents selected Bills fans as their preferred romantic or hookup partners. Similar preferences appeared in Cincinnati, where 78% chose Bengals fans, and Kansas City, where 77% chose Chiefs fans.
The NFL dating survey reflects self-reported experiences and preferences from selected markets, rather than evidence that football causes relationships to begin. Nearly half of respondents said the sport had no effect on their dating lives.
