Dubai Sports City
Sport as a core value driver across a master-planned city.
+40%
Absorption
+25%
Asset value
Global Padel Report · 2026 Edition
The state of padel, in data.
An independent, data-driven view of the world's fastest-growing racket sport — from market scale and club economics to padel's rise as a real estate asset.
~58,334 courts worldwide
19.4M+ players
+16% YoY growth
58,334
Padel courts worldwide (2025)
19.4M+
Players worldwide
~8,000
New courts added in 2025
~5,000
New clubs added in 2025
Inside the report
A category entering a more mature phase
Four years on, padel is a truly global and more sophisticated industry — one where growth depends less on speed and more on execution, monetization and the intelligent use of data. The 2026 edition is organised in three connected chapters.
02
Chapter 02
Market scale & dynamics
Global growth, the 5-archetype framework that groups countries by maturity and demand, and the booming padel equipment value pool.
Explore the market 03 Chapter 03Club-level value creation
The court-hour engine, unit economics across markets, and the shift from court-booking utilities to holistic, experience-led clubs.
Explore club economics 04 Chapter 04Padel as a real estate asset
Sport-backed real estate, investor archetypes, and how padel drives activation, yield and asset repositioning.
Explore real estate
Market scale
See the full market analysis →
Padel keeps scaling — but growth is now maturity-driven
In 2025, 7,898 new courts and 4,969 new clubs were added, bringing the global total to 58,334 courts. Growth is increasingly distributed across regions, with France posting the largest share of new courts and APAC, Latam and the Middle East contributing meaningfully.
+16%
YoY court growth (2025)
~6x
Court expansion since 2016
850k+
Federated players
Global court growth outlook
Total padel courts by year, historical & outlook [2016–2028]
Source: Court manufacturers, Padel Lands, FIP, Playtomic, Strategy& analysis. Outlook illustrative.
The 5-archetype framework
Markets follow different paths
Understanding padel growth means looking beyond countries. The report groups markets into five archetypes by ecosystem maturity and demand quality — stages of development, not fixed categories.
Where markets stand today
Ecosystem maturity vs. quality of demand
1
Padel Heartlands
Spain · Italy · Portugal · Argentina
Mature, culturally embedded ecosystems. Value now comes from monetizing and upgrading the installed base, not new courts.
2
The Sweet Spot
Netherlands · Belgium · France · Switzerland · South Africa
Well-balanced, post-tipping-point ecosystems with disciplined, demand-aligned expansion.
3
The Hotspot
UK · Germany · Ireland
Early-growth markets with accelerating demand, strong pricing power and chain-led, experience-led roll-outs.
4
Diamonds in the Rough
US · India · Australia · Indonesia · Brazil · Poland
Very early-stage markets with large latent populations but still-forming ecosystems and irregular demand.
5
Post-Boom Adjustment
Sweden · Finland · Chile
Supply outpaced demand, driving overcapacity, consolidation and a phase of structural correction.
The Middle East is analysed separately as a capital-led, premium-driven model outside the framework. Source: Playtomic, Strategy& analysis.
No single magic lever
Top vs. bottom performing clubs — global benchmark
Top performers earn ~5x the booking revenue per court of bottom performers (€3,531 vs €736 / court / month). Source: Playtomic, Strategy& analysis.
Club-level value creation
It's the court-hour engine — not court count
Club economics are driven by how effectively each court-hour is monetized: operating hours × utilization × price per hour. Court bookings remain the core volume driver at an average of 68% of GMV, while structured formats and off-court services lift monetization.
Leading clubs don't win on one lever. They excel across the full operating system — utilization, pricing, indoor coverage, product mix and digitalization.
See club economics →
Padel as a real estate asset
From niche leisure use to recognised investment area
Sports-related real estate has moved from niche to a recognised investment area. Padel is emerging as a relevant, scalable use for activation, yield and asset repositioning.
Finca Cortesín
Repositioning via the Solheim Cup as a valuation catalyst.
+35%
Residential value
Verdura Resort
Integrated sport & wellness driving stable resort cash flows.
80%
Guest retention
Mayakoba
Global golf exposure accelerating real estate performance.
+35%
Absorption
+28%
Asset value
Executive summary
Ten key takeaways
01
Padel continues to scale globally in 2025 — ~8k new courts and ~5k new clubs, reaching ~58.3k courts and broadening beyond its core markets.
02
Markets progress along different paths, captured in a 5-archetype framework grouping countries by ecosystem maturity and demand quality.
03
Club chains and professional operators play a growing role, bringing replicable formats and operating discipline to padel clubs.
04
Value creation is driven by how effectively each court-hour is monetized — utilization, pricing power, indoor coverage and product mix.
05
Court bookings remain the core volume driver (~68% of GMV); structured formats raise monetization and smooth demand.
06
Top-performing clubs outperform through system-level execution, not any single lever.
07
Evolving demand — wellness, community, experience — is accelerating the shift toward holistic, experience-led club models.
08
Holistic clubs layer monetizable touchpoints before, during and after play to drive retention — at higher operational complexity.
09
Sports-related real estate has moved from niche to a recognised investment area for activation and experiential value.
10
Padel is increasingly positioned as a real estate activation and yield-optimisation tool across property typologies.
About this report
Built on platform data & analytical discipline
The World Padel Report synthesises proprietary platform data with structured market analysis and external validation from court manufacturers, federations (FIP) and industry sources — designed to identify trends, benchmarks and structural value drivers.