Le  French padel  continues its progress. The latest figures published in May 2026 confirm a still very strong dynamic with now  163,164 licensed competitors that is, players who have participated in at least one official tournament in the last twelve months.

In just one month, French padel has seen an increase in  +6,046 competitors , or a progression of  + 3,8% Significant growth which confirms that all indicators remain positive for the discipline.

But behind this excellent overall health lies a much more contrasting reality: the development of  women's padel competition  remains very limited.

The number of male competitors now exceeds 140,000.

In detail, the  gentlemen  cross a new symbolic threshold with  163,164 licensed competitors .

At the  Women the figure reached  19,626 female players .

The female/male ratio therefore remains extremely low with only  12,7% of competitors were female .

Even more striking: on the  6,046 new competitors  recorded in just one month,  703 are women , against  5 men .

In other words, the monthly increase in the number of male competitors is almost equivalent to 1 year of growth on the female side.

A considerable gap which shows that, despite the efforts made around the development of women's padel, the competitive dynamic remains very unbalanced.

A development policy that is not yet reflected in the competition

For several years, the  FFT  multiplies initiatives to encourage women's participation: more tournaments, better visibility, development actions, support for clubs and structuring of the sporting offer.

But for now, these efforts don't seem to be reflected in the competition's figures.

However, we must be careful not to reduce this situation to a simple matter of federal policy. The phenomenon extends far beyond French borders and even beyond the padel sport itself. One could even say that the FFT (French Tennis Federation) is genuinely trying to create positive momentum in this area through various initiatives. But the results speak for themselves. Can anything really be done about it?

A phenomenon observed everywhere… even in Spain

Spain, despite being considered the world's leading country in padel, also faces this problem.

The number of female players remains far lower than that of men, particularly at the highest level and on international circuits.

For women, the situation is different: the overall volume of competitors remains much lower.

On the  FIP Tour The gap in player density between men's and women's draws remains very significant. Competition among men is extremely fierce today, to the point that federations and international circuits have had to considerably increase the number of tournaments offered in order to avoid frustration among some players.

But this strategy is now backfiring spectacularly.  FIP  It may be necessary to consider better regulation of the number of tournaments organized simultaneously in the same geographical area.

The example of the weekend of  FIP Bronze Marnes  The date in two weeks is particularly telling. Alongside the Paris tournament, there is also a...  FIP Silver London , an  FIP Bronze Latina  in Italy, a  FIP Silver Oeiras  in Portugal, not to mention other events organized outside Europe such as the  FIP Bronze Indonesia .

In practical terms, this means that several international tournaments are being held simultaneously in a relatively close geographical area. This raises the question: aren't there currently too many FIP tournaments being organized at the same time?

In the men's competition, this proliferation of events is still being managed thanks to an extremely high concentration of players worldwide.  FIP Bronze Marnes  will also offer a very interesting male lineup.

However, in the women's competition, this requirement to systematically organize a parallel women's draw seems to have its limitations. The result: draws that are sometimes very disparate, inconsistent, and, in some cases, simply too weak for an international event.

What currently works for men doesn't seem to produce the same effects for women. And sometimes, it's almost the opposite that happens.

La  FFT  seems to have identified this problem well over the past several months.  FIP She, however, still seems to be lagging behind on this subject.

A sport in excellent health despite some tensions

Despite this imbalance, the overall assessment remains very positive for French padel.

Private, public, and federal investments continue to fuel market growth. Infrastructure is developing rapidly throughout France, and the padel economic ecosystem appears generally robust.

Of course, some tensions still exist between private and public actors in several geographical areas. But overall, the market continues to grow at a sustained pace.

All indicators therefore remain green.

The real challenge: understanding the obstacles to women's padel

The central question now remains: how to truly make the  women's padel competition  ?

Are the obstacles related to the sport itself?
To sociological questions?
In the organization of competitions?
In a competitive mindset?
Regarding availability?
To the economics of sport?
Or is it due to a lack of role models and visibility?

Another interesting observation, which will be developed shortly: female competitors also appear to be much less active than their male counterparts in terms of the number of tournaments played.

The issue therefore goes far beyond the simple number of licensed female employees.

The debate remains open.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

On the same subject

Tags