PADEL RULES
Padel Rules 2026 — Complete FIP Rulebook Guide
7 min read
The International Padel Federation issued its first major rulebook revision in five years, adopted at the FIP General Meeting in Acapulco, Mexico on 28 November 2025. The new rules took effect on 1 January 2026. While the core of padel remains unchanged, several targeted modifications address issues that emerged as the professional tour expanded.
This page covers every meaningful change between the 2021 and 2026 editions, with practical context for what each one means on court.
The Star Point: A Third Way to Score at Deuce (Rule 4)
This is the headline change. The 2021 rulebook gave tournaments two options at deuce: traditional advantage scoring or the Golden Point (a single deciding point). The 2026 edition introduces a third option that sits between the two — the Star Point.
How the Star Point works:
- At the first deuce, advantage is played normally. If the advantage pair loses the next point, the game returns to deuce.
- At the second deuce, advantage is played again. Same rules.
- At the third deuce, a single deciding point — the Star Point — is played. The receiving pair chooses which side to receive from, but cannot switch court positions to do so.
- The pair that wins the Star Point wins the game.
Tournament organisers now choose from three formats: Option 1 (Advantage), Option 2 (Star Point), or Option 3 (Golden Point). The format must be declared before the match begins.
Why this matters. The Golden Point was introduced to speed up matches for TV broadcasts but drew criticism from players who felt a single point at deuce was too random. Spanish player Paquito Navarro was particularly vocal, arguing that a single point doesn’t reward the better team. The Star Point is a compromise — it allows two conventional deuce sequences before forcing a decider. Match duration should fall somewhere between Golden Point (shortest) and full advantage (longest), giving broadcasters more predictable scheduling without stripping out the back-and-forth that makes tight games compelling.
Mixed doubles rule. In the Star Point, the receiver must be the same gender as the server. This prevents teams from gaming the format by having their stronger player receive the deciding point.
See The Star Point Rule Explained for a full breakdown with examples.
Serve Changes: Two Adjustments with Practical Impact (Rule 6)
The serve received two separate modifications. One relaxes the rules; the other tightens them.
Foot position: one foot, not both
Under the 2021 rules, the server had to stand with both feet behind the service line before striking the ball. The 2026 edition requires only one foot behind the line. The server must still stand between the imaginary extension of the central service line and the side wall, with at least one foot behind the service line until contact.
This relaxes the rule to match what was already common practice — many recreational players naturally keep one foot forward when serving. Foot faults are now defined more precisely: the server’s feet must not touch the service line, the imaginary extension of the central line, or the service reception box on their own side of the court before the ball is hit.
Ball trajectory before contact (Rule 6.2)
The 2026 rulebook adds a new restriction:
“The ball may not cross the service line or the imaginary line until it is struck.”
The server must bounce the ball and make contact while the ball is still within their service box, on their side of the central line. A ball that drifts across the service line or the centre line extension before being hit is a fault. This closes a loophole where servers could let the ball drift forward after bouncing, shortening the effective serve distance. At professional level, umpires now watch for this explicitly.
Practical tip. For most recreational players, neither change affects how they serve. The foot change actually makes things easier, and the trajectory rule only matters if you were deliberately letting the ball drift forward after the bounce — something almost nobody does unintentionally.
See Serve Rules for the complete serve requirements.
Dropped Racket = Lost Point (Rule 13)
This is entirely new. Under the 2021 rules, a dropped racket had no specific penalty. The 2026 rulebook adds the following to Rule 13 (Point Lost):
“In the event that one of the players breaks their safety cord or drops their racket, the pair will immediately lose the point in dispute.”
The consequence is immediate — no warning, no second chance. This applies whether the strap snaps due to wear or a player simply loses grip. Both players in a pair are covered, so a partner’s dropped racket costs you the point as well.
Why it matters. This reinforces the safety rationale behind the mandatory wrist strap. A flying racket on a glass-walled court is a genuine injury risk, and the previous rules offered no real deterrent beyond the strap requirement itself. Now there is a concrete in-match consequence, which should encourage players to check their straps before stepping on court.
See Wrist Strap Rules for the full wrist cord requirements.
Safety Zone Widened (Rule 1)
The minimum clear safety zone outside each end of the court has been increased:
- 2021: 2 metres minimum on either side
- 2026: 3 metres minimum (4 metres recommended)
This affects court builders, not players directly, but it means courts built to the 2021 standard may need modification for FIP homologation. If you run a club or are planning a facility, this is the change that hits your budget.
See Court Dimensions for full court measurement specifications.
Altitude Ball Threshold Raised (Rule 3)
The altitude at which a lower-bounce ball may be used has been raised from 500 metres to 1,000 metres above sea level. Below 1,000 m, the standard ball applies. Above it, a ball with a slightly reduced bounce (between 121.92 cm and 135 cm when dropped from 2.54 m) may be used.
This mostly affects tournaments in cities like Mexico City (2,240 m) and Bogotá (2,640 m), where the lower-bounce ball remains available. Madrid (667 m), which sat above the old 500 m threshold, now falls below the line and uses the standard ball.
See Ball Requirements for complete ball specifications and FIP approval rules.
Warm-Up Time Reduced
The mandatory pre-match warm-up drops from 5 minutes to a 3-minute courtesy rally. A minor procedural change, but it lets tournament schedules run tighter across a full day of matches.
Suspension warm-up times have also been shortened:
| Suspension duration | 2021 warm-up | 2026 warm-up |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 minutes | None | None |
| 5–20 minutes | 3 minutes | 1 minute |
| Over 20 minutes | 5 minutes | 3 minutes |
See Timings for all time rules including between-point and changeover allowances.
2021 vs 2026 at a Glance
| Rule area | 2021 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring at deuce | Advantage or Golden Point | Advantage, Star Point, or Golden Point |
| Serve foot position | Both feet behind service line | One foot behind service line |
| Ball trajectory on serve | Not specified | Ball cannot cross service line before contact (Rule 6.2) |
| Dropping racket | No penalty stated | Immediate loss of point (Rule 13) |
| Safety zone width | 2 m minimum | 3 m minimum, 4 m recommended (Rule 1) |
| Altitude ball threshold | Above 500 m | Above 1,000 m (Rule 3) |
| Pre-match warm-up | 5 minutes | 3-minute courtesy rally |
What Didn’t Change
Court dimensions remain 20 m x 10 m. Ball specifications are the same. Net height is unchanged. Wall play rules are identical. The serve underhand requirement stands. The core of the sport is intact — the 2026 revision is about refinement, not revolution. If you learned the rules under the 2021 edition, nearly everything you know still applies.
For the full scoring rules, see Scoring System and Star Point Rule Explained. For the wrist strap requirement, see Wrist Strap Rules. For court construction standards, see Court Dimensions. For ball specifications, see Ball Requirements. For all match timing rules, see Timings.
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