• FIP and Premier Padel officially recognise 20 October as World Padel Day, formalising a date already embraced by the global padel community and renewing its call for Brisbane 2032 potential inclusion.
• World Padel Report 2026 estimates around 40 million amateur players in 191 countries and territories, with women representing 47% of participants.
• Recognition by Olympic and international sporting bodies and participation in the European, South American, Mediterranean and Asian Games reinforce padel’s case for Brisbane 2032.
• August’s Padel Invitational at the Sydney Opera House brought international stars and Australian players together, putting the sport on an iconic stage in the future Olympic host country.

The International Padel Federation (FIP) and Premier Padel today officially recognise 20 October as World Padel Day, formalising a date already embraced by the global padel community. To mark the occasion, the federation is renewing its call for potential padel’s inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, highlighting the sport’s worldwide participation, gender balance and flexible event format.

The latest FIP World Padel Report 2026 reinforces that case. The federation’s research estimates around 40 million amateur players worldwide, with padel now played in 191 countries and territories across all five continents. Women account for 47% of participants, and more than 91,000 courts provide an expanding foundation for people to discover and play the sport.

That global reach is supported by a competition structure connecting junior development with elite professional padel. FIP Promises brings junior competition to 36 countries, while the CUPRA FIP Tour spans 59 host countries. At the highest level, the Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour brings together the world’s leading women and men and is available through broadcast partners in 244 territories worldwide, reaching fans across six continents. This structure provides pathways for emerging talent and gives padel an established global platform as FIP pursues Olympic inclusion.

Padel’s fast rallies and spectacular exchanges are immediately engaging to watch and easy to share, while accessible rules help new audiences follow the action. Men’s and women’s competitions share the same stage, and a compact format with modular courts offers flexibility in venue planning and delivery.

“Padel can bring Brisbane 2032 a global community, exciting competition for women and men, and a sport that people can discover and continue playing long after the Games,” said Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation. “Our ambition is to give the next generation, in Australia and around the world, the opportunity to dream of representing their country on the Olympic stage.”

Australia has already offered a powerful illustration of that potential. On 15–16 August, the Padel Invitational presented by UBS brought the sport to the Sydney Opera House, with a temporary court on the Northern Broadwalk overlooking Sydney Harbour. Delivered by Padel Australia in collaboration with Premier Padel and FIP, the event brought together international padel stars, Australian sporting great Pat Rafter and local club players.

The Sydney event gave Australians an opportunity to experience padel at one of the country’s most recognisable landmarks. For FIP, it demonstrated both the sport’s growing appeal in Australia and how a temporary court can transform an existing setting into a distinctive sporting venue. That flexibility is central to the campaign’s case for Brisbane 2032: creating atmosphere and memorable images while limiting the need for additional permanent infrastructure.

The opportunity extends to the legacy of the Games. The report’s economic impact study, conducted by OpenEconomics using FIP data, estimates that padel will contribute €8.6 billion to global GDP in 2026 and support around 236,000 full-time equivalent jobs. For FIP, Olympic inclusion would help build on that wider contribution, encouraging participation, supporting local clubs and businesses, and inspiring investment in community sport.

The campaign builds on FIP’s established relationships within the Olympic Movement and the wider international sporting community. FIP is already recognised by the Olympic Council of Asia, the European Olympic Committees, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, the South American Sports Organization, the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games and the International University Sports Federation.

Padel’s participation in the 2023 European Games and the 2026 South American, Mediterranean and Asian Games has further demonstrated its ability to contribute to major multisport events. Together with FIP’s network of 115 national federations, this experience strengthens the sport’s case for Brisbane 2032 and its ambition to give more athletes the opportunity to represent their countries on the Olympic stage.

The World Padel Day campaign is supported by a new film bringing these arguments together and highlighting the sport’s potential contribution to the Games. Its closing message captures the ambition: 

“Padel is fit for the future. Padel is ready for Brisbane 2032.”