For most attached women out there the World Cup will be met with a big sigh: months of being a football widow, cleaning up nachos off the floor after a world cup party, and not being able to listen to Capital FM in their car.

For the single lady though the World Cup has to be an unprecedented opportunity to meet guys.

As a dating expert I hear the same complaints from single women time and time again…most of which can be solved by abusing the bloke institution that is the World Cup.

‘Where are all the men…?’ 

Is this the most common female dating complaint ever? Well now we know the answer: down the pub watching the footie. Ok so this doesn’t sound like the most romantic place ever to meet someone granted, but for a reliable footfall of single guys, a bar with a very big TV screen has to be a great shout.

‘He’s not approaching me, how am I supposed to start talking to him?’

Can you see the obvious solution? The football gives you endless conversation starters. Whether you’re utterly clueless as to what a penalty is, or can explain the offside rule like the best of them, the football is a low risk conversation starter. Just find yourself next to the guy you fancy and ask a footie related question for a smooth start to the conversation.

‘I still don’t want to say hello to him, how do I get him to say hi to me?’

First of all, learning to chat to guys is fun and an essential life skill for any modern woman… however if you really can’t find it in yourself to do it you should at least aim to make life easy on him.

I can bet you that guys want to say hi to you they’re just afraid of rejection, like saying hello to you requires a similar degree of bravery to a parachute jump. So give him a conversation starter by donning some country colours. As England is out of the running pick some nice Brazilian blues, greens and yellows to give him something to comment on.

Because if a man has a low risk way to speak to you, just like if you have a low risk way to speak to him, conversations are much more likely to get started… then the World Cup won’t seem like such a rubbish meeting story.

About the author…

Hayley is the UK’s leading female dating expert, working with huge brands such as Channel 4, Cosmopolitan, FHM and the Independent. To find out more, check out HayleyQuinn.com or follow her on Twitter @HayleyQuinn.