On the occasion of Alpine Paris Major 2026 Organized this week at Roland-Garros, the French Tennis Federation has released a new overview of padel in France. The figures presented confirm a trend already observed in recent years: the sport continues its rapid growth, both in terms of players and infrastructure.

850,000 participants and more than 4,500 trails

The FFT now estimates  850,000 is the number of padel players in France , of which 469,000 were identified on Ten'Up. By comparison, they were estimated at around 500,000 in 2024.

Among  346,600 FFT members  practicing or likely to practice the various federal disciplines  150,500 now have a padel license , according to figures from the end of August 2026. The Federation announces an increase in  43,3% compared to the end of the 2024-2025 season .

The evolution is just as spectacular on the equipment side. France now has  4 padel courts , compared to 3,199 in the same period in 2025, representing a projected increase of  41,2% in one year .

The number of structures follows the same trajectory with  1,348 clubs offering padel , an increase of 31%.

These figures primarily demonstrate that the development of padel is no longer solely dependent on a few large urban areas or private complexes. The sport is gradually establishing itself within the French sporting landscape, with projects driven by private entities, affiliated clubs, and local authorities alike.

This rapid increase in facilities also raises new questions. Among them is the integration of the courts into their environment. The FFT is working specifically on the issue of...  noise , with recommendations for project developers and the recommendation of acoustic studies when the location presents a particular risk.

Vichy, a central piece of the French project for high-level

However, the growth in the number of participants is not enough to build a nation capable of competing sustainably with Spain or Argentina. One of France's major challenges now concerns training.

Since September 2025, the FFT has had a  National Padel Training Center in Vichy , located at Sporting Vichy Tennis and near the CREPS.

The first cohort consisted of twelve young people aged 13 to 16. For its second season, four new players joined the program:  Mélie Ribert, Léon Benveniste, Lino Meireles and Lenzo Barreteau .

The CNE now welcomes  16 young players  in an environment comprising twelve tracks, six of which are covered.

The objective goes beyond immediate results alone. It is about creating genuine continuity in French training, with young players identified earlier and supported in their progression towards the international circuit.

This policy is starting to be found among players on the professional circuit, although the gap with the two major nations of world padel remains significant.

According to the FIP rankings of September 7, 2026,  Alix Collombon is ranked 36th in the world , While  Dylan Guichard has just reached the best ranking of his career with a world number 85 ranking. .

The Paris Major as a showcase

The contrast between the spectacular growth of the practice in France and the still limited presence of the French at the world summit is precisely one of the major challenges of the coming years.

The 2026 edition of the Paris Major nevertheless offers some interesting signs.

At men's,  Timéo Fonteny, Thomas Leygue and Dylan Guichard all won their first main draw match at Roland-Garros . Leygue, partnered with Jesús Moya, had previously had to go through the qualifiers, while Guichard plays with the Belgian Clément Geens and Fonteny with the Spaniard Nacho Moragues.

Three French players thus reached the second round of the Parisian Major, giving the Philippe-Chatrier public several French representatives to follow in the men's draw.

When amateurs also pass through Philippe-Chatrier

At the same time, the FFT is seeking to take advantage of its major Parisian event to bring amateur padel closer to the professional circuit.

The operation  "Clubs at Chatrier"  This is one example.

Between mid-June and mid-August, FFT clubs were able to organize qualifying tournaments. A final phase bringing together  32 pairs , including 31 from the qualifications and one professional pair, was then organised on September 6 on the track installed on the Philippe-Chatrier court.

The format was intentionally different from a classic competition: mixed pairs, matches played to two winning points with only one serve. The winning pair won  10,000 euros to share .

A way to make the Paris Major not only a showcase for professional padel, but also a tool for promoting the sport in clubs.

The next challenge: turning quantity into results

With  850,000 players, 150,500 padel licenses, 4,520 courts and 1,348 clubs offering the sport French padel has clearly changed dimensions.

The challenge now evolves with him.

After accompanying the explosion of practice and infrastructure, one of the challenges will be to transform this increasingly large base into a true sports sector: more young people trained, more players able to establish themselves on the international circuit and, in the long term, more French players on the verge of the very highest world level.

The creation of the Vichy National Training Centre (CNE) and the investments made in training are steps in this direction. It now remains to be seen what their effects will be over several seasons.

Because while France has already become one of the major markets for padel,  The next step will also be a sporting one: to gradually reduce the gap that still separates mass participation in French padel from the top of the world padel scene. 

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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