PADEL RULES
Padel Timeline — Key Dates from 1969 to 2026
7 min read
The history of padel spans just over 50 years — a remarkably short time for a sport that now has more than 25 million players worldwide. This timeline tracks every key milestone, from the first court in Acapulco to the 2026 FIP rules revision.
The Origins (1969-1974)
The sport began as a backyard experiment in Mexico and crossed the Atlantic within just two years.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1969 | Enrique Corcuera builds the first padel court at his holiday home in Acapulco, Mexico. He encloses a small outdoor space with walls and a net, creating the foundational layout of the sport. |
| 1971 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a Spanish-Austrian prince and friend of Corcuera, brings padel to Spain. He builds the first European courts at the Marbella Club on the Costa del Sol. |
| 1974 | Padel begins spreading beyond Marbella into other Spanish cities, particularly Madrid and Barcelona. Courts appear at private clubs and tennis facilities. |
Corcuera’s original court was a practical solution to a limited space — the walls were there to keep the ball in, not as a deliberate game design choice. That accident became the sport’s defining feature. For the full story of these early years, see our history of padel.
Expansion to South America (1975-1990)
Argentina became padel’s second home, and the sport began its journey from elite pastime to mass-participation activity.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1975 | First padel courts built in Argentina, introduced by Spanish and Argentine travellers who had played the sport in Marbella. Buenos Aires becomes the initial hub. |
| 1980s | Padel spreads rapidly through Argentine clubs and sports centres. A more aggressive, athletic playing style develops, distinct from the Spanish game. |
| 1980s | In Spain, padel moves from elite clubs to public sports centres and municipal facilities. The sport begins its democratisation. |
| 1988 | The first formal padel competitions are organised in Argentina, laying the groundwork for a structured domestic scene. |
Argentina’s adoption of padel was driven by an existing culture of doubles racket sports, particularly fronton. The enclosed court format felt natural to Argentine players, and the country quickly developed into a padel powerhouse that would eventually rival Spain.
Institutionalisation and Early Competition (1991-2004)
The 1990s saw padel transform from an informal recreation into an organised, governed sport with international competition.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1991 | The International Padel Federation (FIP) is founded by Spain, Argentina, and Uruguay. This establishes padel as a formally governed international sport. |
| 1992 | The first Padel World Championships are held, organised by the FIP. Spain and Argentina dominate the early editions. |
| 1990s | Padel becomes the second most popular sport in Spain after football, with hundreds of thousands of registered players and courts spreading across the country. |
| Late 1990s | Several Latin American countries — including Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay — begin developing domestic padel infrastructure. |
The founding of the FIP was a critical turning point. Without an international governing body, padel would have remained a collection of national recreational activities. The FIP provided the framework for standardised rules, international competition, and — eventually — the pursuit of Olympic recognition.
The Professional Era Begins (2005-2014)
The creation of the World Padel Tour marked the beginning of padel as a truly professional sport, with structured rankings, prize money, and broadcast coverage.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2005 | The World Padel Tour (WPT) is founded as the premier professional padel circuit. It hosts events primarily in Spain and Argentina, with prize money and television coverage. |
| 2002-2018 | Fernando Belasteguin maintains an unbroken stretch as world number one — approximately 16 years, one of the longest number-one runs in any professional sport. |
| 2010s | The FIP grows to 60+ member federations across all continents, including the US, UK, Germany, Sweden, Italy, and the UAE. |
| 2013 | Padel is considered for inclusion in the Pan American Games, signalling growing international recognition. |
The WPT era created the first generation of padel superstars. Players like Belasteguin, Juan Martin Diaz, Gemma Triay, and Alejandra Salazar became icons of the sport, and the WPT established the commercial and competitive model that professional padel would build upon.
The Global Boom (2015-2021)
From 2015 onward, padel began its most dramatic expansion phase, spreading far beyond its traditional strongholds in Spain and Argentina.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Sweden begins building padel courts, sparking the Nordic padel boom. Within a decade, Sweden would have more padel courts per capita than any country except Spain. |
| 2017-2018 | Padel growth accelerates across northern Europe — courts open in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. |
| 2019 | The Italian padel boom begins. Italy goes from a niche padel market to one of the largest in Europe within just a few years. |
| 2020 | COVID-19 accelerates outdoor sport adoption. Padel, played outdoors on enclosed courts with just four players, benefits enormously. Court bookings surge worldwide. |
| 2021 | Global padel participation reaches an estimated 18-20 million players. Investment in padel facilities and equipment grows rapidly. |
The COVID-19 pandemic was an unexpected catalyst for padel. While indoor sports suffered, padel’s outdoor format and small group size made it one of the few sports that could continue during restrictions. Many new players discovered the sport during this period and stayed.
The New Professional Order (2022-2026)
The launch of Premier Padel reshaped the professional landscape, and the sport continued its march toward mainstream global recognition.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Premier Padel launches as a joint venture between the FIP and Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). It replaces the WPT as the top professional tour, with higher prize money and global broadcast deals. |
| 2023 | Premier Padel Major events are introduced — the biggest tournaments on the calendar, with the largest prize pools and ranking points. |
| 2024 | Global padel participation surpasses the 25 million player milestone. Courts are now found in over 90 countries. |
| 2025 | Premier Padel is fully established as the undisputed top tour. The professional landscape stabilises with Premier Padel at the top, supported by secondary circuits including A1 Padel. |
| 2026 | The FIP rules revision takes effect in January 2026, updating regulations on court specifications, equipment, and match procedures. Global expansion continues, with new markets in Asia and North America growing rapidly. |
What Comes Next
Padel’s trajectory shows no signs of slowing. The key themes for the sport’s near future include:
- Olympic recognition — The FIP continues to pursue inclusion in the Olympic Games. With 25+ million players and representation across all continents, padel’s case strengthens with each passing year.
- North American growth — The US and Canada represent largely untapped markets. Investment in court construction and player development is accelerating.
- Asian expansion — Countries including Japan, India, and Saudi Arabia are building padel infrastructure and hosting professional events.
- Tour consolidation — The professional landscape may continue to evolve as the FIP works toward a fully unified competitive structure.
From a single walled court in Acapulco to a global sport with tens of millions of players, padel’s 57-year journey is one of the great growth stories in modern sport. For the full narrative, see our complete history of padel.
