Padel in Spain: The World's Padel Capital

Spain is the capital of world padel. The country has more registered players, more clubs, and more courts than any other nation — by a significant margin. Estimates put the Spanish padel player base at 4–5 million, with over 20,000 courts and around 6,000 clubs. Padel is the second most popular sport in Spain after football.

The sport first took hold in the late 1970s in the wealthy southern coastal areas around Marbella and Málaga, but by the 1990s it had spread across all regions and all social classes. Today you'll find padel courts at gyms, sports centres, schools, and standalone clubs throughout the country.

Spain produces the majority of the world's top professional padel players. The Spanish coaching tradition is the most developed in the world — coaches trained in Spain bring internationally recognised certification and tactical depth to the sport wherever they move. Many padel coaches working in the UK, UAE, Sweden, and across Europe were trained in Spain.

Spanish padel culture is distinctive: playing padel followed by a social gathering (beer, food, conversation) is a fundamental social ritual. Courts are typically booked weeks in advance at peak hours. It's common for companies to have padel teams and for padel to be played during work social events.

The Federación Española de Pádel (FEP) is one of the most powerful national sporting federations in the country, and the Spanish top division — the División de Honor — produces the talent pipeline for the world professional tours.