Padel continues its spectacular growth in France, with more than  3 lots  recorded in 2025 and a  annual growth rate of 31%  between 2022 and 2025. This rapid development positions France among the most dynamic countries in Europe in terms of padel.

 Sources  : News Reports, Strategy & analysis, Playtomic

The South-East leads, Paris and the South-West follow

The most dynamic region is undoubtedly the  South-East of France , including cities like  Montpellier ,  Marseille  or the  French Riviera . It is closely followed by  the Parisian region  and the  Southwest France , especially around  Bordeaux  These areas concentrate both a high number of practitioners and rapidly expanding infrastructure, as shown in the density map.

The padel boom in France: the "Padel Riviera" in full expansion

Why is there such a craze for padel in France?

Several factors explain this rise in power:

  •  A strong racket sports culture  : tennis clubs were the first to open padel courts, taking advantage of the technical proximity between the two disciplines.
  •  The Celebrity Effect  : emblematic figures like  Zinedine Zidane  ou  Tony Parker  play an ambassadorial role, both as practitioners and investors, which helps to popularize the sport among the general public.
  •  Increased visibility thanks to Roland-Garros  : the reception of the  Premier Padel Tour  in the legendary Parisian stadium reinforced the media and institutional exposure of padel.
The padel boom in France: the "Padel Riviera" in full expansion

Obstacles remain

Despite this growth, certain obstacles could slow down development:

  •  The lack of a centralized booking application  makes it difficult to connect players and clubs, limiting the fluidity of casual play. (NB: note that the report is obviously biased since it was commissioned by Playtomic, but that there are on the French market many tools on this topic)
  •  The obligation of affiliation to participate in FFT tournaments  may discourage newcomers or more occasional practitioners, hindering access to competition.

The current dynamic shows that padel is much more than a passing trend in France. However, to sustainably support this growth, according to the audit of Strategy & analysis, efforts will have to be made on accessibility and simplification of procedures for players.

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.

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