BNL Italy Major Premier Padel, the Foro Italico lights up the clash between the sport’s biggest stars. Carraro: “Rome is a unique setting, where sport, culture and passion come together in this Major”

• From 31 May to 7 June, the Italian capital welcomes the world’s leading Padel players for the first Major of the season. With major returns and standout storylines, three leading pairs are set to compete for the title and world Ranking points.

• A total of 240 players will compete — 52 pairs in the women’s draw and 68 in the men’s draw — across 118 matches played over eight days.

 

Five editions and a now inseparable bond: Rome and top-level Padel continue to strengthen their shared history year after year. The BNL Italy Major Premier Padel returns to the Italian capital to write a new chapter of sporting spectacle and growth. From 31 May to 7 June, the Foro Italico will once again become the beating heart of world Padel, a stage of exceptional appeal where the best players in the world will showcase their skills. A total of 240 players will compete — 52 pairs in the women’s draw and 68 in the men’s draw — across 118 matches played over eight days.

 

Anticipation is building for the first Major of the year. This morning, at the Foro Italico Club, the official press conference for the event took place, attended, among others, by the President of the International Padel Federation Luigi Carraro, the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, the CEO of Sport e Salute Diego Nepi Molineris, and the President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation Angelo Binaghi.

 

ROME WELCOMES THE WORLD’S BEST As per tradition, the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel will feature all the circuit’s leading players. In the men’s draw, attention will focus on the battle between world number ones Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia (winners in the capital in 2023), and Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto, who have beaten them in the last two finals at the Foro Italico and have already claimed five titles in 2026 in Gijón, Miami, Newgiza, Asunción and Buenos Aires. Also to watch, as always, are Juan Lebrón — winner of the 2022 edition alongside Galán — and Leo Augsburger, as well as Mike Yanguas and Franco Stupaczuk. Rome will also mark the return of two highly anticipated pairings: Martín Di Nenno and Rome favourite Paquito Navarro — finalists in the inaugural Major — who reunite on a full-time basis from the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel onwards. Javi Leal and Fran Guerrero, standout performers in the 2025 edition when they reached the semi-finals, will also return as a pair. Among the top eight seeds are Jon Sanz and Coki Nieto, as well as Javi Garrido and Lucas Bergamini.

 

The women’s draw is equally strong, led by reigning champions Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay, with the latter having reclaimed the world number one ranking following her 2025 Rome title, which she has held ever since. However, recent tournaments suggest close attention should be paid to Paula Josemaría (a former Rome winner alongside Ari Sánchez) and Bea González, who have won the last five events on the calendar, all against the top-ranked pair. Also returning to the Foro Italico are Ari Sánchez, this time alongside Andrea Ustero. Among the leading names are “Niña Maravilla” Claudia Fernández and Sofía Araújo, Tamara Icardo and Claudia Jensen, 2023 winner Marta Ortega with rising talent Martina Calvo, as well as legendary Alejandra Salazar, making her final appearance at the Foro Italico alongside Ale Alonso, in the season that will mark the end of an outstanding career.

 

MATCHES The BNL Italy Major Premier Padel will begin with the qualifying rounds, played on Sunday 31 May and Monday 1 June. On Tuesday 2 June, both the men’s and women’s main draws will get underway. The semi-finals will take place on Saturday 6 June: the first session from 2 pm CEST (women followed by men), and the second not before 7pm. On Sunday 7 June, starting at 6.30 pm, the finals will be played, with the women’s final followed by the men’s final (not before 8 pm).

 

CARRARO “The BNL Italy Major Premier Padel is one of the symbols of our circuit and one of the events that best reflects the identity, growth and international dimension of Padel,” said Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation, who added: “Rome, with the Foro Italico, offers every year an exceptional setting, where sport, entertainment, passion and culture come together in a unique atmosphere. Here, Padel is not only competition: it is a shared experience, collective emotion, and a memory renewed year after year. On court, we will see an extraordinary spectacle: in both the men’s and women’s draws there are at least three pairs truly capable of winning the title. We will also see the return of a much-loved pair for the public, Paquito Navarro and Martín Di Nenno. We all remember the 2022 final of the first edition, when, despite losing, Paquito sang together with the 7,000 people who were there to applaud him. That moment became iconic in the world of Padel: he was happy despite defeat, simply because of the atmosphere here. This success is also the result of a shared vision and outstanding collaboration between the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, Sport e Salute, the FIP and Premier Padel, who together have built a model that has become a global benchmark.”

 

The President also noted that “Padel continues to grow steadily: it is now played in 175 countries by around 38 million players worldwide, and continues to expand rapidly, with an increasingly structured presence in major international multi-sport events, from the European Games to the Asian, African and South American Games. In this context, Premier Padel represents the highest level for professional players. We have decided to maintain a stable calendar of 25 tournaments per year: we will neither increase nor reduce the number of events; our challenge is to continuously improve the quality of tournaments and venues.”

 

ABODI “This is a wonderful and unique place in the world, where Padel has been able to carve out a leading role,” said Andrea Abodi, Minister for Sport and Youth. “It is an increasingly interdisciplinary stage, where different generations meet and share experiences, regardless of the specific sporting event. On this occasion, I would like to acknowledge the work carried out by the International Padel Federation, the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, Premier Padel and all those who contributed to the organisation, demonstrating capability and global vision. The real objective must be to constantly cultivate a culture of improvement: being satisfied only for a moment and then immediately restarting, improving the organisation and the quality of the experience for athletes, sponsors and above all the public.”

 

NEPI MOLINERIS “When years ago Luigi Carraro spoke to me about the internationalisation of Padel and its transformation into a true global sport and sports and television industry, I must admit I did not fully grasp its potential,” said Diego Nepi Molineris, CEO of Sport e Salute, the Italian public company responsible for promoting sport, managing and enhancing sports facilities, and supporting the organisation of major sporting events. “Yet he was right. In just a few years, he managed to bring together a fragmented movement, creating a single international federation and a coordinated system between different countries. He worked consistently to build strong global relationships, with the aim of growing the movement, the athletes and the professional dimension of Padel, as well as the quality of tournaments. Rome, in this context, has a special meaning and brings an even greater responsibility to deliver an event worthy of its importance.”

 

BINAGHI “The Foro Italico once again hosts one of the most prestigious events on the international sporting calendar with the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel,” continued Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation. “Rome’s confirmation among the four Major venues worldwide reflects the strategic role Italy has taken in the global development of Padel. This result is the outcome of strong institutional cooperation between our Federation, Sport e Salute, the Minister for Sport and Youth, Roma Capitale, the Lazio Region, the International Padel Federation and Premier Padel. The steady growth of Padel in Italy, in terms of numbers, quality and participation, confirms the validity of the path we have taken. We will continue to invest in the development of the movement and the promotion of this sport, aiming to replicate the results achieved in tennis over the past twenty years. Our medium- to long-term goal is to become — even if it may sound unusual compared to countries like Spain and Argentina — among the strongest nations in the world also in Padel.”