Searching for that special someone in Los Angeles has not been Maria-Alejandra Paz’s cup of tea.
But with an assist from Cupid and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the singleton’s now sipping from the sweet fount of love. Score.
“The World Cup has single-handedly changed my dating life for the better,” Paz, 29, living in LA, exclusively told The Post after meeting a could-be “Mr. Right” during the USA v. Paraguay face-off last Friday. “There’s something really magical about sports bringing people together.”
Although the brunette, an Immigration Justice Digital Communications specialist, didn’t shell out upwards of $32,000 to attend the game, she, her would-be new beau and swarms of soccer enthusiasts celebrated the bout at the FIFA Fan Festival event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Some solo sirens like Dee Vel-Baque, a gal on the prowl based in the NYC area, and Natalie Hernandez, a Californian keen on landing the love of her life, maintain high hopes that splashy soirées, such as the World Cup — expected to attract in millions of worldwide visitors to host cities across the US — will serve as the sporty backdrops to their romantic encounters with eligible local and international heartthrobs.
But taking the gold in the game of love wasn’t top of mind for Paz, a team Paraguay buff, when she hit the FanFest scene late last week.
She simply just had to pee.
While rooting for opposite teams, Paz and her unexpected paramour, a 27-year-old hunk, also from LA, whose name she chose to withhold for privacy, locked eyes while holding their respective bladders, waiting in a lengthy line for the porta-potty bathroom.
She recalled having to confront a pair of girls attempting to cut the bathroom line — a crime that her bladder, which was about to “f- -king explode,” wouldn’t allow.
After shooing away the restroom rascals, she and the guy struck up a cutesy conversation that ultimately led to them enjoying the rest of the game together.
Paz, however, told The Post that the bathroom duo’s flame came as a slow burn rather than a sudden flash in the pan.
“It was definitely not love at first sight, but we clicked really quickly,” she said. “The banter was easy, the conversation flowed and there was just an instant chemistry.”
The kismet connection that Paz posted about on TikTok was one she hadn’t experienced in a while.
“Dating in LA is like trying to pick out the perfect avocado at the grocery store. It’s either rock hard and nowhere near ready, or already spoiled,” the millennial moaned. “And if you finally find a good one, by the time you’re ready for it, it’s gone bad because you waited too long or it didn’t wait for you.”
But the “avocado” she snagged thanks to the World Cup is happily ripe for the picking.
“We were definitely not rooting for the same team. When Paraguay scored, I jumped up screaming and celebrating while he just sat there looking up at me from the floor,” Paz laughed.
“I even spilled some of my beer on him, and when I apologized for getting a little too excited, he was just like, ‘No need to apologize, it’s all good.’”
After the game, the twosome swapped numbers and agreed to go on a first date the next day.
“The date was just drinks and billiards, but we ended up talking for hours. We had so much in common — travel, fitness, values, and the connection was honestly just really great,” she gushed to The Post.
“We ended the night in a photo booth, which was actually his idea after he won the tiebreaker pool game,” continued Paz, “and somehow, that photo strip ended up capturing our first kiss.”
She credits the enchanting evening to the forces of FIFA.
“In all my years of dating, I had never actually met someone in person like this before,” she raved. “I genuinely think it’s because of the atmosphere and the sense of collective excitement and community that the World Cup has created in LA.”
“Thank you for creating a space that feels accessible and welcoming for all kinds of people to come together, connect, and celebrate,” Paz praised the FIFA powers that be.
“Maybe y’all can sponsor the next date.”
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