The French Tennis Federation  (FFT) has unveiled new rules regarding “cuts” for pairs padel tournaments, applicable as soon as possible, and at the latest for AS 2026 events. The objective:  standardize the playing levels , especially for P25 to P250 level competitions.

No limitation for major tournaments

For  P500, P1000, P1500 and P2000 tests , no ranking restrictions are in place. Registrations remain  open  (open) and acceptance lists will be determined by the  weight of pairs  (sum of the points of the two players).

These categories therefore remain accessible to the best players in the national ranking, which guarantees a high level in these events.

New restrictions for intermediate and recreational tournaments

On the other hand, ranking limitations are now imposed on lower level tournaments in order to  preserve sporting fairness  :

  •  P250  : prohibited for players of the  top 500 men  et  top 100 ladies .
  •  P100  : prohibited to  top 2000 men  et  top 300 ladies .
  •  P25  : prohibited to  top 20 men  et  top 1000 ladies .

These measures aim to avoid excessive differences in level between participants in these local competitions, which are often popular with amateur players.

TESTSGENTLEMENWOMENMIXEDYOUTH
P 2000OPEN (at the Cut)OPEN (at the Cut)No testNo test
P 1500OPEN (at the Cut)OPEN (at the Cut)No testNo test
P 1000OPEN (at the Cut)OPEN (at the Cut)No testNo test
P 500OPEN (at the Cut)OPEN (at the Cut)No testNo test (except TNJ)
P 250Banned from the Top 500Banned from the Top 100No ranking limitationNo ranking limitation
P 100Banned from the Top 2.000Banned from the Top 300No ranking limitationNo ranking limitation
P 25Banned from the Top 20.000Banned from the Top 1.000No ranking limitationNo ranking limitation

Mixed and youth categories: more flexible rules

For  mixed events , the new rules introduce a  no classification limitation  for P100 and P25, while P250 remains limited to players outside the top 100.

On the side of  jeunes , the FFT has chosen to  not to impose restrictions , whether in P25, P100 or P250, in order to encourage participation and development of the practice among younger people.

FFT: new padel regulations for the 2026 season

A transitional measure before 2026

The FFT specifies that these rules are  applicable as soon as possible  by leagues and tournament organizers, but  will become mandatory for the AS 2026 tests .

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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