The opening round confirms Padel’s global growth

Behind the numbers and results, one undeniable trend is emerging, reflected in the findings of the latest FIP World Padel Report: the sport’s rapid growth in recent years has gone hand in hand with an expansion of its foundations and an increase in the technical strength of new countries. The FIP World Cup is further confirmation of this. Take Indonesia’s women’s team, for example. It is true that they lost 3-0 to Sweden in their first-ever appearance at a world championship, and that their journey in major international Padel competitions has only just begun. Yet they qualified for the 16-team final stage in Doha and, above all, put up a strong fight against a country ranked sixth in the men’s and ninth in the women’s team world rankings. Indonesia’s players took their Swedish opponents to a third set in two of the three matches, winning the opening set on both occasions. This is clear evidence of technical progress that is also reflected in the FIP World Padel Report.

 

As of September 2026, Indonesia is the fastest-growing country in Asia compared with September 2025. The number of clubs has increased by 310.1%, while the number of courts has risen by 440.8%. This is part of a wider trend across Asia, where the continent’s share of global court installations has more than tripled, rising from 10% in 2025 to 31.7% in 2026. Another result worth highlighting is Portugal’s 2-1 win over the United States. It is true that Portugal were 2-0 up before losing to the pair of Morga and this World Cup’s young star, Ornella Beltramino. But it is equally true that the Americans’ comeback victory in the third set came at the end of a closely fought match, contested point by point. It is certainly reasonable to see this result as another reflection of Padel’s expansion in the United States and across the Americas.

 

The technical progress of countries that are beginning to challenge the established balance of power in recent seasons is also reflected in the Netherlands‘ 2-1 win over France, traditionally among the contenders for a podium finish in Europe. The Dutch had already secured an impressive fourth place at the last FIP Euro Padel Cup in Spain, and their FIP World Cup debut confirms progress driven not only by the growth of the amateur game but also by the country’s rising technical standards at the highest level. It is no coincidence that, according to the FIP World Padel Report, the Netherlands installed around 400 new courts in 2026, reaching two important milestones: breaking into the world’s top five countries by number of courts, overtaking Sweden, and passing the 4,000-court mark. Sweden itself made headlines by taking Yanguas and Goñi to a third set, with Slaryd and Axelsson, in a result that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. All of this was reflected in the opening day of the FIP World Cup, but there is no doubt that the surprises and the signs of progress will not end here.