Professional padel, explained
Everything you need to understand how the pro game works — the tours and where they came from, the four Majors, the prize money, how it's actually played, and the forces reshaping the sport. One page, plain English.
Last updated: 22 June 2026, 15:00 BSTOn this page
Where padel came from
Padel was invented in 1969 in Acapulco, Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera. Without room for a full tennis court at his home, he built a smaller one — 20m by 10m, enclosed by walls you could play off — and his wife Viviana wrote the first rules. From there it travelled two ways: to Spain in the early 1970s (Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe built courts at the Marbella Club), and to Argentina, where it exploded into a mass-participation sport. Spain and Argentina remain the heartland of the pro game to this day.
The sport got its global governing body in 1991, when the International Padel Federation (FIP) was founded in Madrid by the Spanish, Argentinian and Uruguayan federations. The FIP is to padel what the R&A and USGA are to golf — it sanctions the official circuit and runs the world rankings.
The tours today
For most of the 2010s the top circuit was the World Padel Tour (WPT), launched in 2013. Then in 2022, the FIP partnered with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) — the fund behind Paris Saint-Germain — to launch a rival circuit, Premier Padel. After a tense period of two competing tours, QSI acquired the WPT in 2023, and the two were unified under the FIP. Since 2024 there has been one clear top circuit:
Premier Padel is now the undisputed top tour — padel's PGA Tour.
The landscape in short:
- Premier Padel — the premier global circuit, FIP-sanctioned, QSI-backed. The best men and women in the world play here.
- Cupra FIP Tour — the feeder tour beneath it (tiers: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze), where players earn points and climb. Think Challenge/Korn Ferry Tour.
- A1 Padel — a separate, Latin-America-rooted circuit with its own rankings, outside the Premier Padel structure. Smaller, but a real competitive pathway for many LatAm players.
- National federations (e.g. the LTA in Britain) run domestic tours and team competitions that feed the grassroots and amateur game.
The Majors & the tiers
Premier Padel events come in three tiers, ranked by the points on offer — exactly like golf's Majors, signature events and regular tour stops. The 2026 season runs 26 tournaments across 18 countries.
| Tier | Ranking points | Think of it as… |
|---|---|---|
| Major | 2,000 | The four "majors" — the biggest titles in the sport |
| P1 | 1,000 | Signature-level events (London/Olympia is a P1) |
| P2 | 500 | Regular tour stops |
The four Majors in 2026 are the sport's equivalent of the Masters, US Open, The Open and PGA Championship:
- Qatar Major — Doha
- Italy Major — Rome (Foro Italico)
- France Major — Paris (Roland-Garros)
- Mexico Major — Acapulco
The season climaxes with the Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona each December — a year-end championship for the top qualifiers, like golf's Tour Championship. Unlike golf, men's and women's draws play at the same events, same week, same venue.
Prize money
Prize money has climbed fast since QSI's investment. Per event in 2025–26:
| Tier | Prize money (per category) |
|---|---|
| Major | €525,000 |
| P1 | €340,000 – €425,000 |
| P2 | €197,000 – €235,000 |
A notable point of progress: the Majors pay men and women equally across all rounds. At the P1 and P2 tiers the men's and women's pools still differ, but Premier Padel has been narrowing the gap (it recently raised women's P2 prize money), and equal pay is a live talking point in the sport.
How the pro game is played
Padel is always doubles, on an enclosed court roughly a third the size of a tennis court. The walls are in play — like squash — so points are longer, more tactical, and full of recovery shots played off the glass. Scoring follows tennis (games, sets, best of three).
At the elite level the defining battle is for the net: the pair that controls the net usually wins. Signature shots include the bandeja and víbora (controlled overheads that keep you at the net) and the por tres (smashing the ball out of the court off the back glass). It's a game of patience and positioning punctuated by explosive finishing.
Emerging trends
A wave of investment
Qatar (via QSI) was the first mover, but Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has now entered — backing the new Hexagon World Series team event and a Saudi league launched in 2025. Big sovereign capital is pouring in, on top of a private-investment boom in clubs and courts worldwide.
An Olympic push
The FIP is openly pursuing an Olympic pathway, with hopes pinned on future Games (Brisbane 2032 is the most-discussed target). Olympic inclusion would be a step-change in profile and funding.
Explosive participation
The pro game rides a grassroots boom — Britain alone has passed a million players, with courts multiplying across Europe, the US and the Middle East.
Free, fan-first broadcasting
Much of the tour streams free on YouTube, which has supercharged audience growth — a deliberate land-grab for new fans before monetising later.
Equal pay, edging closer
Majors already pay equally; pressure is mounting to extend that across every tier — a story worth watching season to season.
How to watch
The easiest route: subscribe to the official Premier Padel YouTube channel (free live centre-court coverage, replays within 24 hours, highlights) and the A1 Padel YouTube channel (most matches free). Some marquee stages go to partners — for example, the latter rounds of the London P1 at Olympia are exclusive to Red Bull TV. Coverage can vary by country.
Frequently asked questions
Is Premier Padel the same as the World Padel Tour?
What are the four Majors?
How much do pro padel players earn?
Do men and women earn the same?
Who governs professional padel?
What's A1 Padel?
Will padel be in the Olympics?
Can I watch it for free?
Got a question we haven't answered?
Ask away — we read every one and add the best answers to this page.