From swipes to stadiums: Tinder ad scores big with love and football

This year, as women’s sports take centre stage—from the excitement of India’s WPL to the electric atmosphere in stadiums to watch women’s football matches in Europe—Tinder’s latest campaign cleverly taps into the intersection of fandom and passion. And leading this charge is a real-life love story between Dutch footballer Kerstin Casparij and her partner Ruth Brown.

A romance that begins with a swipe and ends on the sidelines

Tinder’s latest European brand film, Wherever it Takes You, takes us back through the journey of Kerstin and Ruth, showcasing their evolution from that first casual swipe to shared dreams on and off the pitch.

Shot in Manchester and directed by Rawtape, the film gives their relationship the slow-mo, stadium-light treatment, with a narrative that literally plays in reverse starting from present-day goals and seamlessly looping back to their very first date.

Casparij, who plays for Manchester City and the Netherlands national team, isn’t just fronting the campaign as a familiar face—she’s the heart of it. Ruth, her partner, didn’t just fall in love with Kerstin; she also discovered a newfound passion for football. That’s the central idea of the film: that sometimes, a single connection can take you places you never expected—even immersing you in an entirely new fandom.

“People always ask us how we met this is a pretty high-production answer,” the couple said in a joint statement, calling the experience “nostalgic” and “surreal”.

Swiping right on storytelling

This isn’t Tinder’s first foray into innovative storytelling. The app has been dedicated to showcasing documentary-style love stories from all over Europe—previous campaigns highlighted the Berlin-based techno duo Brutalismus 3000 and the French creators Charles and Melanie. But this marks the first time a UK-based queer couple takes the spotlight.

The campaign, developed by LePub, Tinder’s European creative agency, isn’t just content for content’s sake. It’s part of a broader shift dating apps are making: from swipe mechanics to soft storytelling.

With apps such as Hinge touting “designed to be deleted” and Bumble pushing the “first move”, Tinder seems keen to remind users—and advertisers—that real stories still happen here.

Love, queer joy, and culture-savvy timing

The timing is no accident. As women's football grows in popularity—and queer representation in sports slowly inches toward visibility—this campaign threads both narratives together in a way that feels organic and non-preachy.

This isn't just a football campaign. It's all about connection; Tinder's attempt to add a cinematic flair certainly seems like a step in the right direction.