Is padel the fastest-growing sport? What the 2026 numbers actually show
Padel is expanding fast: courts, clubs and players have multiplied, and it made its Asian Games debut in 2026. But player estimates range from 19 million to 40 million, and no study proves it is the world's fastest-growing sport.
Padel is growing very quickly, but "the fastest-growing sport in the world" is a slogan rather than a measured fact. Every major count shows more courts, clubs and players each year. The counts themselves disagree widely, however: the sport's federation says more than 40 million people play, while the largest booking platform estimates about 19.4 million.
How many people play padel?
Somewhere between about 19 million and 40 million, depending on who counts and how. The FIP's World Padel Report 2026, released on 14 October 2026, counts anyone who played "at least once during the year" and arrives at 40 million players, 27 million of whom play at least every two weeks, Padelspeak reported. The FIP also counts 1.11 million registered competition players, up 30.5% in a year.
The booking platform Playtomic, whose annual report is produced with PwC's consultancy Strategy&, puts the total at about 19.4 million players, including more than 850,000 federated players, Padel Addict reported in May 2026. The gap reflects definitions: an occasional holiday game counts in one estimate but not necessarily in the other.
| Measure | FIP World Padel Report 2026 | Playtomic Global Padel Report 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 40 million (played at least once a year) | About 19.4 million |
| Registered or federated players | 1.11 million | More than 850,000 |
| Courts | 91,234 (end of August 2026) | 58,334 (end of 2025) |
| Reach | 191 countries and territories | Not comparable |
How fast are courts and clubs being built?
Fast, and faster outside Spain than inside it. Playtomic counted 4,969 new clubs and 7,898 new courts in 2025, taking the total to 58,334, six times the 2016 figure. France added the most courts in 2025, Indonesia added nearly 800, and Saudi Arabia now has more than 1,000. Spain still has the most courts, but Playtomic says its growth through expansion has ended. The FIP's higher count of 91,234 courts by August 2026 includes 13,879 added in ten months, with Europe holding 62.5% of the total.
Where is padel growing fastest?
Britain is one of the clearest examples. The Lawn Tennis Association says 860,000 adults and juniors played padel at least once in 2025, up from 400,000 at the end of 2024, 129,000 at the end of 2023 and 15,000 in 2019. Britain had 1,553 courts at 559 venues at the end of 2025, against 870 courts a year earlier. Playtomic names Britain and Germany as the hottest markets, with British clubs averaging 85% occupancy at peak hours.
Is padel really the fastest-growing sport?
No study ranks the growth of every sport worldwide, so the claim cannot be proven. The closest rival for the title is pickleball, which is measured more systematically in the United States. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association says 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, up from 4.2 million in 2020, and calls it the country's fastest-growing sport for five consecutive years. Playtomic describes the US as padel's major untapped market, held back partly by competition from pickleball.
Rapid growth can also reverse. Playtomic reports that Chile saw 80 club closures in 2024 and a 27% drop in monthly bookings, a sign that markets can overbuild. Its 2026 report describes padel as "maturing" rather than slowing.
Will padel become an Olympic sport?
Not yet; padel is not on the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and the FIP is campaigning for inclusion later. It has taken a step through regional multi-sport events. Padel made its debut at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where Qatar's Rashed and Mashari Nawaf beat Malaysia's Christian Chin and Aidan Yunus 6-3, 6-1 on 3 October 2026 to win the first men's gold, the Gulf Times reported. Questions about expansion and legacy apply to sport's biggest events too, from the first 48-team World Cup to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Frequently asked questions
How many padel players are there in the world?
Estimates range from about 19.4 million to more than 40 million. The International Padel Federation's 2026 report counts 40 million people who played at least once in the year, 27 million of them regularly. The booking platform Playtomic estimates about 19.4 million players. Both agree that the number of formally registered or federated players is around one million.
How many padel courts are there in the world?
Playtomic counted 58,334 courts worldwide at the end of 2025, after nearly 7,900 were added that year. The International Padel Federation gives a higher figure of 91,234 courts at the end of August 2026, with about 62.5% of them in Europe. The difference reflects different data sources and methods, so the two figures are not directly comparable.
Is padel more popular than pickleball?
It depends on where you look. Padel is far bigger in Spain, much of Europe, Latin America and the Gulf, while pickleball dominates in the United States, where 24.3 million people played in 2025 according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. There is no reliable worldwide comparison of the two sports using the same method.
How many people play padel in the UK?
The Lawn Tennis Association says 860,000 adults and juniors played padel at least once in 2025, more than double the 400,000 recorded at the end of 2024. In 2019 the figure was about 15,000. Courts rose from 870 to 1,553 over the same year, spread across 559 venues, according to figures published in March 2026.
Is padel in the Olympics?
No. Padel is not part of the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. It did appear at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where Qatar won the first men's gold medal. The International Padel Federation is lobbying for Olympic inclusion and uses appearances at regional multi-sport games to build its case.
Sources
- Padelspeak — FIP World Padel Report 2026: 40 million players (October 2026)
- Padel Addict — More than 58,000 courts worldwide and 19.4 million players (Playtomic Global Padel Report 2026) (28 May 2026)
- LTA — 860,000 players: LTA unveils latest figures on growth of padel in Britain (25 March 2026)
- Sports and Fitness Industry Association — U.S. pickleball participation (accessed November 2026)
- Gulf Times — Qatar's padel investment pays off with historic Asian Games gold (4 October 2026)
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