World Padel Championship 2026 — FIP Nations Tournament Format, History and Guide

What Is the World Padel Championship?

The FIP World Padel Championship is the premier national team competition in padel. Organised every two years by the International Padel Federation (FIP), it brings together national teams from around the world to compete for the title of world champion.

Unlike the Premier Padel circuit where individual pairs compete on a year-long tour, the World Padel Championship is a nations tournament — players represent their countries in a team format, similar to the Davis Cup in tennis.

The competition has been running since 1992, making it one of the oldest and most prestigious events in padel’s history. For the broader story of padel’s development, see our history of padel and governing bodies explainer.

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2026 Edition — What We Know

The 2026 World Padel Championship will be the next edition following the 2024 championship held in Doha, Qatar. Here is what has been confirmed and what is expected:

Timing

The championship is expected in autumn 2026, likely in October or November, consistent with the scheduling of recent editions.

Host Venue

The host city and venue have not yet been officially announced by the FIP. The Middle East (Doha, Dubai) and South America have been the most common recent hosts. The FIP typically announces the host well in advance of the competition.

Teams

16 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams are expected to participate in the final phase, consistent with the format used in recent editions. National federations nominate squads of 8 players per team.

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Tournament Format

The World Padel Championship follows a structured group-and-knockout format:

Group Stage

• 16 teams are divided into four groups of four
• Each team plays the other three teams in its group in a round-robin format
• The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage

Knockout Stage

• The 8 qualifying teams compete in quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final
• Teams eliminated in the quarter-finals play ranking matches to determine positions 5th through 8th
• Teams finishing 3rd and 4th in groups play classification matches for positions 9th through 16th

Match Format

Each tie between two nations consists of the best 2-out-of-3 matches. Each match is a standard padel doubles match. The team that wins two matches first wins the tie.

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History of the World Padel Championship

The World Padel Championship has been dominated by two nations: Argentina and Spain. Here is the complete history:

Year	Host	Men’s Champion	Women’s Champion
1992	Madrid, Spain	Argentina	Argentina
1994	Mendoza, Argentina	Argentina	Argentina
1996	Madrid, Spain	Argentina	Argentina
1998	Mar del Plata, Argentina	Spain	Spain
2000	Toulouse, France	Argentina	Spain
2002	Mexico City, Mexico	Argentina	Argentina
2004	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Argentina	Argentina
2006	Murcia, Spain	Argentina	Argentina
2008	Calgary, Canada	Spain	Argentina
2010	Riviera Maya, Mexico	Spain	Spain
2012	Riviera Maya, Mexico	Argentina	Argentina
2014	Palma de Mallorca, Spain	Argentina	Spain
2016	Cascais, Portugal	Argentina	Spain
2018	Asunción, Paraguay	—	Spain
2021	Doha, Qatar	Spain	Spain
2022	Dubai, UAE	Argentina	Spain
2024	Doha, Qatar	Argentina	Spain

Key Takeaways

• Argentina has won the men’s title 12 times — comfortably the most successful men’s team in history
• Spain has won the women’s title 6 consecutive times (2014–2024), the longest winning streak in the competition
• The championship has been hosted across four continents — Europe, South America, North America, and Asia (Middle East)
• The competition has grown from a primarily Spain-Argentina affair to a truly global event with 16 nations competing

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The 2024 Edition — Most Recent Results

The most recent World Padel Championship was held in Doha, Qatar from October 28 to November 2, 2024.

Men’s Final

Argentina defeated Spain 2–1 in the men’s final, claiming their 12th world title. Argentina’s depth of talent — drawing on many of the same players who compete at the highest levels of Premier Padel — proved decisive once again.

Women’s Final

Spain won the women’s title, extending their remarkable run to six consecutive World Championships. Spain’s women’s team has been the most dominant force in international padel for over a decade.

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How Nations Qualify

National teams qualify for the World Padel Championship through a combination of:

• Automatic qualification for top-seeded nations based on previous World Championship results
• Continental qualification — Regional championships (European, Pan American, etc.) provide qualification spots
• FIP invitation — The FIP may allocate additional spots to ensure geographic diversity and support the sport’s global growth

The top four nations from the previous championship are typically seeded as group heads in the next edition.

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Why the World Padel Championship Matters

The World Padel Championship occupies a unique place in padel’s competitive landscape:

National Pride

It is the only major padel competition where players represent their countries rather than competing as individual pairs. This creates a unique atmosphere and emotional intensity that differs from the regular tour circuit.

Sport’s Global Growth

The championship showcases padel’s international reach. With 16 nations competing, it demonstrates that padel has grown well beyond its traditional Spain-Argentina strongholds into a genuinely global sport.

Olympic Ambitions

As padel pushes for Olympic inclusion, the World Padel Championship serves as evidence of the sport’s international competitive structure — a federation-governed, multi-nation team competition is exactly the kind of event the IOC looks for when evaluating new sports.

For the ongoing professional tour season, see our 2026 Premier Padel calendar guide and the A1 Padel season overview.