Fact Check: Is Sabrina Carpenter really dating Ecuador footballer Piero Hincapié?

NEW YORK, NY: A rumor claiming pop star Sabrina Carpenter is dating Ecuadorian footballer Piero Hincapié has gained significant traction across X and TikTok following a FIFA World Cup match.

Many viral posts have attempted to lend credibility to the claim by citing TMZ as the source. This fact check examines whether the report exists and whether there is any evidence supporting the alleged relationship.

Claim: TMZ reported that Sabrina Carpenter and Piero Hincapié are dating

Multiple viral posts on X and TikTok claim that Sabrina Carpenter is in a relationship with Ecuador national team defender Piero Hincapié.

Several of the posts specifically state that the news was first reported by TMZ, while videos repeating the rumor have accumulated tens of thousands of likes and shares.

The claim suggests the relationship has already been confirmed by a major entertainment news outlet.

Fact Check: The claim that TMZ confirmed the relationship is false

The claim is false. TMZ has not published any report stating that Sabrina Carpenter and Piero Hincapié are dating.

A review of TMZ's recent entertainment coverage shows no article linking Carpenter to the Ecuador defender.

Neither Carpenter nor Hincapié has publicly confirmed being in a relationship, and no credible entertainment outlet has independently verified the rumor.

The false claim appears to have grown out of unrelated events during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Carpenter was photographed attending the Germany-Ecuador match from a luxury suite, while Hincapié was participating in the tournament with Ecuador.

Social media users began speculating about a possible connection after noting they were in the same general area during the event.

The rumor then escalated after posts falsely attributed the speculation to TMZ, giving the impression that the story had been independently verified.

Another unrelated event appears to have fueled the speculation. Around the same time, Hincapié's former girlfriend, Spanish influencer Aura de la Cruz, shared a breakup message on Instagram asking followers to stop sending her abusive messages and to stop linking her to the footballer before later deleting the post.

The timing of that breakup, combined with Carpenter's appearance at the World Cup, appears to have helped drive the false dating narrative.

Sabrina Carpenter has attended several World Cup matches alongside other celebrities throughout the tournament, making her a frequent subject of online speculation. However, there is currently no verified evidence linking her romantically to Piero Hincapié.