FIP reaches 115 federations, launches World League and Para Padel

The International Padel Federation (FIP) now has 115 member federations. At its 36th General Assembly, held on 12 October 2026 at the headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee in Madrid, 15 new national federations were admitted. The assembly also approved two new projects: an FIP World League for national teams and a dedicated Para Padel programme.

Fifteen new members on five continents

The new members are Afghanistan, Angola, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Colombia, Libya, Mauritius, Namibia, Peru, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uzbekistan and Zambia. Several are in Africa and the Caribbean, where padel has had little organised structure so far. Colombia and Peru add to a Latin American base that is already strong.

The assembly also marked the federation's 35th anniversary. Spain, Argentina and Uruguay, the three founding federations, signed a symbolic constitution with Mexico and FIP President Luigi Carraro.

A World League for the rest of the world

The FIP World League is meant for national federations that do not play in the FIP World Cup. Until now, most of them have had few chances to field a national team in an international competition. The new event gives them more matches and a team format.

Adaptive padel is now a formal FIP priority under the Para Padel programme. The FIP says the aim is to make the sport more accessible and inclusive.

"This Assembly reflects a global padel community united by a shared vision and a spirit of cooperation," Carraro said. "Our 15 new member federations will bring fresh perspectives to that collective effort, while the FIP World League will open more opportunities for national teams to compete and our work on adaptive padel will make the sport more accessible." He added that padel's growth should benefit the whole community "as we pursue our shared Olympic ambitions."

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The Olympic case, made in Madrid

The venue mattered. Alejandro Blanco, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, spoke strongly for padel's Olympic future. "As the Olympic movement looks to the future, participation, international reach and a sport's impact on society will be essential. Padel has a compelling case on all three fronts," Blanco said. "I have said this for a long time: padel has an important role to play in the future of sport, and I cannot imagine the Olympic movement's future without it."

The FIP backed its argument with numbers. The CUPRA FIP Tour now runs in 60 countries. The FIP Promises youth circuit reaches 36 countries through four continental tours. On the professional side, the Qatar Airways Premier Padel tour drew 81,000 spectators to this year's Paris Major at Roland-Garros.

What comes next

For players and clubs in Spain, padel's biggest market, the assembly mostly confirms the direction the sport was already taking. The game keeps spreading to new countries, and the federation is putting its effort into Olympic recognition. The next concrete step is the World Padel Report 2026. According to the FIP, it will include an economic impact analysis of the sport for the first time, the kind of hard evidence the Olympic bid needs.