Padel makes its debut at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto: world stars, surprises and a wealth of talent

• Padel will make its historic debut in Taranto: from 22 to 28 August, 88 athletes from 18 countries will compete for the men’s, women’s and mixed titles.
  
• All eyes on Spain: Gala, Hernandez and Collado lead the way in the men’s event, while former world number ones Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno spearhead the women’s team.
  
• Italy will be represented by national team stalwarts Cassetta and Orsi, alongside the talent of Dal Pozzo, Abbate and Montiel. Portugal and France will also be targeting medals, with the Araujo and Deus brothers among those in action.
  
• Emerging nations will also be represented, from Egypt and Croatia to Türkiye, Morocco and Cyprus, in an international field that also welcomes Athletica Vaticana.

Eighteen nations, eighty-eight athletes and three competitions on the programme. Padel is preparing to make its debut at the 2026 Mediterranean Games, with the teams set to compete in Taranto from 22 to 28 August. A total of 49 men and 39 women will take part, with 17 countries in the men’s doubles, 14 in the women’s doubles and 12 in the mixed doubles.

 

Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Türkiye and Athletica Vaticana will travel to Taranto, with the latter taking part for demonstration purposes. The event at Parco del Mediterraneo Salinella will bring together the strongest names in international Padel alongside emerging nations.

 

AN ELITE SPANISH TEAM Spain have selected eight high-level athletes, all established names in the FIP Ranking and on the major Premier Padel and CUPRA FIP Tour circuits. In the men’s event, one of the brightest talents in Spanish Padel is David Gala, world number 34, born in 2006, a winner with the national team at the 2025 FIP Euro Padel Cup and European Games gold medallist in Krakow in 2023. Alongside him will be José Diestro (45), another European champion, as well as the young Pol Hernandez (35) and Guille Collado (36), one of the strongest and most surprising young pairings of the past two seasons. In the women’s event, Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno stand out — both former world number ones and still inside the world top 25 — alongside Jimena Velasco (29) and Nuria Rodriguez (25), who enjoyed an excellent first half of the season alongside Italy’s Giulia Dal Pozzo. A group combining experience and talent, and one aiming high alongside the much-anticipated hosts, Portugal and France.

 

ITALY Italy will also field four men and four women in Taranto, with a strong group strengthened by highly promising young players and the advantage of playing on home soil. Among those selected are national team stalwarts such as world number 31 Carolina Orsi, Giorgia Marchetti, Carlotta Casali and Marco Cassetta, all of whom have already reached European and World Championship podiums, with the Orsi-Marchetti partnership having won gold at the European Games three years ago. They will be joined by the young Flavio Abbate, Alvaro Montiel and Simone Iacovino, who helped Italy secure bronze at the 2025 FIP Euro Padel Cup, and by the season’s major breakthrough player, 21-year-old Giulia Dal Pozzo, world number 30.

 

PORTUGAL AND FRANCE Portugal and France are among the teams targeting a medal alongside Italy. The Portuguese team will bring all its top FIP-ranked players to Taranto, including siblings Sofia and Pedro Araujo and the Deus brothers, with Miguel and Nuno ready to compete again after their outstanding silver medal at the 2025 men’s FIP Euro Padel Cup in Spain. They will be joined by experienced player Ana Nogueira and Pedro Graça, also a European champion. France will also be targeting a medal, with European silver medallists Louise Bahurel, Lucile Pothier and Charlotte Soubrié, alongside Steffi Merah. Bastien Blanqué, Dylan Guichard, Yoan Boronad and Timeo Fonteny will be key members of the French men’s team, making France a team to watch across all three categories.

 

EMERGING NATIONS Egypt and Kosovo are among the largest teams, with eight players each. Cyprus will have six athletes, while Greece, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Tunisia will each be represented by four players. Tunisia’s line-up includes Dora Chamli, the first African player to win a match on the Premier Padel world circuit. Türkiye will field two men and two women, while Albania will have four athletes, all in the men’s event, including Alensio Serjani and Martin Muedini, home favourites at the recent FIP Platinum held in the capital Tirana. Morocco will also compete in the men’s event, with former ATP world number 160 Reda El Amrani, while Monaco will field the youngest player in the padel competition, 2009-born Noah Minioni. Croatia will be represented by two women, Karolina Balog and Lea Jurkovic.