There is no question that padel, the informal racket sport cousin of tennis and pickleball, is very much on the rise. While it wasn’t long ago that the sport was limited to Spain and Argentina, it is now one of the fastest-growing in the world, with a widespread celebrity following and a professional tour spanning five continents.
And it’s not just celebrities and professionals picking up a padel racket. According to Playtomic’s 2026 Global Padel Report, the number of padel courts worldwide has increased almost sixfold since 2016, reaching 58,335 by the end of 2025. That figure is forecast to climb to nearly 68,000 by the end of 2026.
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This week marks another milestone in the sport’s rise, as London prepares to host its first-ever Premier Padel P1 tournament. From August 4-9, the city will host the sport’s best players for the biggest professional padel event ever staged in the UK.
P1, part of the 2026 Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour, will see elite players compete across six days inside London’s Olympia. The tournament is one of the first major sporting events to take place at the venue, following its £1.3bn (approx. $1.74bn) transformation.
And those within the padel world have high hopes for the tournament, seeking to make it a permanent fixture within the luxury London summer sporting circuit. As Jonathan Rowland, CEO of sports, media, and entertainment company VVV Sports, says, “Wimbledon owns July. We want padel to own August.”
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How does Premier Padel work?
Premier Padel is the official professional tour sanctioned by the International Padel Federation (FIP). The 2026 season includes 26 tournaments across 18 countries, from Riyadh and Buenos Aires to Miami and Paris.
At the top of the calendar sit the four Major tournaments, each worth 2,000 ranking points and carrying the tour’s largest prize pool, at €47,250 (approx. $54,477). Beneath these are P1 events, worth 1,000 ranking points, followed by P2 tournaments, which award 500 points and help expand the sport into emerging markets.
This year’s remaining Major tournaments are the Paris Major, taking place from September 7–13, and the Mexico Major, taking place from November 23–29.
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Why London and why now?
London’s arrival on the competitive padel calendar is indicative of the UK’s rapid emergence as one of the sport’s fastest-growing markets. Figures from the UK’s Lawn Tennis Association show participation more than doubled in a year, rising from 400,000 players in 2024 to 860,000 by the end of 2025. Court numbers have also surged, increasing from just 69 in 2020 to 1,553 courts across 559 venues.
“Premier Padel London P1 is a real milestone for the sport in the UK,” says Rowland. “Padel has gone from niche to mainstream at remarkable speed, and you can feel that momentum across London, in the clubs, the courts, the retailers, and the people picking up a racket for the first time.”
And demand is growing, and continuing to outpace supply. The Playtomic report found average peak-time court occupancy sits at 85 percent, while half of British players report struggling to book a court during busy periods, prompting operators to continue expanding indoor venues across the country.
“The exciting thing is that the demand is no longer the question,” Rowland adds. “It’s whether we can build the courts, access, and pro player pathways quickly enough to keep pace with the global appetite for padel.”
And, in terms of professional padel, Charlie Grave, who, with TTB-Sport, founded the Hurlingham Club’s non-competitive yearly padel event, the Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic, believes the city is well-suited. “London and UK are one of the leading sporting hubs in the world – we support events. Unlike many cities around the world, we have a great track record to fill stadiums,” adding, “I have no doubt the event will pull decent crowds and will become a complete sell out each year.”
How to watch and who to follow at P1
The London draw will feature many of the biggest names in world of padel, including Alejandro Galán, Federico Chingotto, Gemma Triay, and Delfina Brea, alongside British hopes Catherine Rose and Christina Medina Murphy.
Several arrive in London in winning form. Galán and Chingotto claimed the men’s title at the inaugural Pretoria P1 after saving a championship point, while Triay and Brea secured their second consecutive title in the women’s draw.
“With British interest through players such as Catherine Rose and Christina Medina Murphy, and the world’s best arriving in London, this is a chance to show the world why the UK will become one of padel’s marquee destinations,” adds Rowland. And after London, the tour heads to Madrid, for another P1 tournament at the end of August, and then to one of its biggest events of the season: the Paris Major at Roland Garros.
Tickets for London P1 are available via Ticketmaster, with day passes and premium hospitality options available across the tournament at Olympia. Fans unable to make it to Olympia will be able to follow the action live via the tournament’s official broadcast partners, including Red Bull TV and TNT Sports in the UK.
