On the occasion of the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel From Rome, Italy confirms year after year its central place in the global development of padel.

While Spain remains the absolute benchmark in the discipline and Argentina remains the great historical nation at the top level, Italy has established itself in a few years as the most dynamic market in Europe after Spain, both in terms of the number of pitches and in the organization of international competitions.

More than 10,000 padel courts in the country

Italy's progress is spectacular.

According to figures published by the International Federation of Padel (FIP), Italy crossed the symbolic threshold of 10,000 padel courts in 2025.

Only Spain has more courts, with approximately 17,000. Italy is currently the second-ranked nation in the world in terms of the number of courts and facilities dedicated to padel.

This growth is recent: in 2022, the country had approximately 7,700 plots of land. In three years, the increase has exceeded 29%.

Rome, the world's third padel city

The Italian capital occupies a special place in this expansion.

According to FIP data, Rome now has more than 1,500 padel courts, making it the third city in the world behind Madrid and Barcelona.

Nearly 250,000 people practice padel there, which is about one in six Italian players.

This statistic illustrates the importance Rome has taken in the global padel ecosystem, to the point of becoming one of the most influential cities in the sport.

Between 1,5 and 2,2 million practitioners

The exact number of players varies depending on the calculation methods used.

Estimates from the FIP and several specialist studies place the number of Italian practitioners today between 1,5 and 2,2 million people.

These figures include, depending on the source, regular, occasional, and licensed players. Even with the most conservative estimates, Italy is now among the world's largest markets.

The BNL Italy Major, showcase of padel Italian

Italian development is not based solely on infrastructure.

Since 2022, Rome has hosted the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel at the Foro Italico, one of the most iconic sporting venues in Europe.

The tournament is one of the four Majors on the circuit Premier PadelThis is the most prestigious category on the world calendar. Every year, the biggest names in the circuit are present.

An extremely busy international calendar

Italy has also become one of the most active territories on the FIP calendar.

In addition to the Rome Major, the country regularly hosts numerous stages of the CUPRA FIP Tour with Silver, Gold or Bronze tournaments spread across several regions.

Recent international competitions include:

  • Sandigliano’s FIP Silver;
  • several stops in Rome;
  • tournaments in Palermo, Cagliari, Turin, Milan or Perugia depending on the season.

This density of competitions allows European players to accumulate experience and FIP points without relying exclusively on the Spanish circuit.

An Italian generation seeking to emerge

From a sporting perspective, Italy does not yet have a player established among the very top ranks in the world.

Spain and Argentina continue to largely dominate the top of the international rankings.

But several Italian players are gradually managing to establish themselves on the professional circuits:

  • Marco Cassetta;
  • Simone Cremona;
  • Lorenzo Di Giovanni;
  • Giulio Graziotti;

Among women, Carolina Orsi remains one of the best-known figures in Italian padel.

Even though the gap with the major historical nations remains significant, the results obtained on the CUPRA FIP Tour show a steady progression of the Italian sector.

A now essential player in the world of padel

Italy is not yet a sporting powerhouse comparable to Spain or Argentina.

On the other hand, with its number of courts, its number of players, its investments, its organization of international events and its capacity to host major competitions, the country has established itself as one of the nerve centers of the global development of padel.

In just a few years, Italy has gone from being an emerging market to an essential player on the international scene.

And judging by the current growth in the number of players, clubs and competitions, this progression seems far from over.

Antoine Tricolet

I discovered the Padel I stumbled into Spain at a campsite. I was instantly hooked; passionate about padel for the past three years, I follow international and regional news with the same excitement as the sport itself.

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