Spain Women Reach Senior World Cup Semis in Buenos Aires

Spain Silence the Host Crowd in Women's Quarterfinal

Spain's women's national padel team produced a dominant display on Thursday to defeat host Argentina 3-1 in the women's quarterfinal of the FIP Senior World Cup 2026, held at Parque Roca in Buenos Aires. The tie, promoted across the FIP's channels as "El Clásico" of senior padel, was broadcast live on the FIP YouTube channel — and it was Spain who delivered the decisive answer against a home crowd that had backed Argentina throughout the week.

The five-category format distributes each confrontation across the +40, +45, +50, +55 and +60 age groups, with a team needing to win three of five individual matches to advance. Spain — defending women's world champions — confirmed their collective depth across the age bands by winning three categories against an Argentina side energised by its first appearance as host nation in the tournament's history. The result sends Spain into Friday's semifinal as the women's side best placed to contest Saturday's final.

The quarterfinal draw also featured Sweden against the Netherlands and a series of other clashes determined by group-stage standings, with the eight surviving nations entering the knockout bracket after three days of group play at Parque Roca and Lasaigues Pádel Canning.

A Record Edition at the Tournament's First South American Stop

This fourth edition of the FIP Senior World Cup is the most expansive in the event's history. A record 32 nations entered the main draw — up from 24 at the 2024 edition in La Nucía, Spain, and 16 at the 2022 Las Vegas event — and for the first time the championship is staged in South America. Buenos Aires has provided fitting infrastructure, while the Argentine public has generated strong crowd numbers across the week at both venues.

The broader participation reflects padel's sustained growth beyond its traditional strongholds. Nations from across Europe, the Americas and further afield are competing in both the men's and women's draws, with each delegation fielding players across five age categories spanning +40 to +60. Every tie in the format carries equal weight regardless of category, placing a premium on squad depth over individual brilliance.

Argentina's Men Still in the Hunt

While Spain's women took a pivotal step on Thursday, Argentina's men are still alive in their own bracket. The Albiceleste are defending the men's title they claimed in La Nucía in 2024, and with the tournament in their own city, the prospect of a home-crowd final on Saturday 19 September remains a realistic and commercially compelling storyline for Argentine organisers and broadcast partners alike.

All knockout-round matches continue to be available via the FIP YouTube channel, which has streamed the quarterfinals in full throughout Thursday. No subscription is required to access the live feed.

What Happens Next

Semifinals across both the men's and women's draws are scheduled for Friday 18 September, with all finals taking place on Saturday 19 September. The Buenos Aires conclusion will mark the last major padel nations event of the year before attention shifts to the FIP Platinum Lyon (21-27 September), which distributes 300 FIP Race to Barcelona points to a main draw that features Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz as men's top seeds and Alejandra Salazar alongside Aranza Osoro as women's top seed. As of this week, 13 players have already secured places at the season-ending FIP Finals in Barcelona, with 19 spots still in contention heading into Lyon.