Padel

What is padel?

Padel is a doubles racquet sport played on an enclosed court three-quarters the size of a tennis court, with solid stringless racquets and walls of glass and mesh that are part of the game — the ball rebounds and stays in play. Scored like tennis with an underhand serve, it is easier to start and famously social — and by participation growth, the fastest-growing racquet sport in the world.^[1] [2]

How does padel work?

Matches are best of three tennis-scored sets, virtually always in pairs; the serve is struck below the waist, and using the back and side walls — defending off the glass, attacking the net — is the sport's signature craft. The professional game runs under FIP rules on the Premier Padel tour, with entry by the FIP Rankings of each player.^[2] [3]

What are padel's origins?

Invented in 1969 by Enrique Corcuera at his home in Acapulco, Mexico — a walled court improvised in a garden — the game spread to Spain via Marbella and to Argentina, the two nations that built its professional culture. The International Padel Federation followed in 1991, and the 2020s boom carried padel from its Spanish-Argentine heartland to clubs in more than 90 countries.^[1] [2]

Where is padel popular?

Spain and Argentina remain the superpowers — nearly every top-ranked professional is Spanish or Argentine — with Italy, France, Sweden and the Gulf states in the first wave of the boom. In the United States the sport is growing fastest in South Florida: Miami is the country's padel capital, dense with new clubs and home to American professional padel's founding franchises.^[2] [4]

Who governs padel?

The International Padel Federation (FIP) governs the sport worldwide from Lausanne — laws of the game, the FIP Rankings, the World Championships, and sanction of the professional tour — through 90+ national federations organized in continental bodies (Padel Europe, Padel Americas, Padel Asia). The U.S. member federation is the United States Padel Association.^[2] [3]

What are the most important competitions in padel?

• Premier Padel — the official global tour: four Majors (Qatar, Italy, France, Mexico) atop P1 and P2 events, and the season-ending Finals in Barcelona.^[3]
• FIP World Padel Championships — the biennial national-team worlds, plus the FIP World Cup from 2026.^[5]
• The FIP Tour — the development circuit (Promotion, Rise, Silver, Gold) where rankings careers begin.^[2]
• The Pro Padel League — North America's professional franchise league, Miami among its founding markets.^[4]
• Continental championships — the European and Pan-American championships between national teams.^[2]

How is padel awarded?

• The FIP Rankings — the official world rankings of every professional, updated weekly; tournament entry and seeding run on them, making ranking history the sport's objective ladder.^[3]
• Premier Padel titles — Major, P1 and P2 crowns and Finals qualification.^[3]
• National-team selection for the World Championships and continental teams — the sport's membership credential.^[5]
• World Championship medals, dominated historically by Argentina and Spain.^[5]

Is padel in the Olympics? What about college?

Not yet: the FIP runs an active Olympic campaign — padel debuted at the European Games and is targeting future Olympic inclusion, with the IOC watching its growth. There is no meaningful U.S. college structure; the development pathway runs through clubs, academies and the FIP Tour, which is standard for the sport worldwide.^[2] [6]

Which media cover padel?

Dedicated outlets lead the sport's press — Padel Magazine (France), The Padel Paper (UK) and the Spanish padel dailies — alongside the tour's own platforms, with the FIP Rankings the official database of professional standing.^[2] [3]

→ Full list: Top media in padel