The padel market in 2026: what investors should know before building

Padel is growing fast around the world, and new courts open every day. For an investor that is both the opportunity and the risk. Here are the numbers from the governing bodies, the lesson from Sweden, and what to check before you put money into a venue. We build courts, so we have an interest in padel growing; that is why every figure below comes from a named source.

The market in numbers

The International Padel Federation (FIP) counts more than 35 million players. Its World Padel Report 2025 lists 24,627 clubs and more than 77,000 courts in 150 countries. Over the 18 months to mid-2025, 14,355 courts were added worldwide, a growth of 15.2% a year, while the number of clubs grew by 16.1% a year.

Europe is the heart of the sport, with more than 51,000 courts, two thirds of the world total. At the start of 2020 it had around 18,000. The average European padel venue has 3.3 courts.

Where the growth is now

The FIP sorts countries by phase. Spain, with 17,300 courts and over 6 million players, is still growing. Italy, with 10,200 courts, is consolidating after its boom. The growth has moved on to other markets:

• Great Britain: 1,553 courts at 559 venues and 860,000 players at the end of 2025, according to the LTA, up from 870 courts and 400,000 players a year earlier
• France: more than 4,000 courts, after 1,850 new ones in 18 months
• Germany: more than 875 courts, after a 50% rise in courts and clubs
• The Netherlands: more than 3,500 courts, now growing more moderately
• Denmark: about 1,575 courts, also in moderate growth

Denmark

Danish club membership is still rising. DGI counted 31,283 padel members in 2025, 2,361 more than the year before, an increase of 8.2%. Much of the boom has been driven by commercial centres, so members are only part of the picture. Since 1 January 2026 the Danish Padel Federation has been a member of DIF, the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark.

The lesson from Sweden

Sweden shows what happens when supply outruns demand. It built 4,220 courts in a few years. During the pandemic some centres were 80–90% booked; by mid-2022 a Swedish industry columnist reported halls at 7–8% occupancy and the best facilities barely above 50%. Chains closed centres, and in October 2022 a group with around 80 venues, mainly in Sweden, had 16 of them in bankruptcy. In its 2025 report the FIP notes that Sweden is not yet showing signs of recovery.

Sweden did not run out of players. People in the Swedish industry put the failures down to over-establishment: too many centres, opened too close together, on plans that took pandemic-level occupancy for granted.

What drives a venue's economics

A padel venue earns mainly from court hire, so occupancy decides the result, as Sweden showed. Indoor courts can be played all year. Beyond court hire, a venue can earn from coaching, tournaments and leagues, food and drink, corporate events, equipment sales and rental, and memberships. On the cost side come land or rent, heating and lighting for an indoor hall, staff, and the courts themselves.

What to check before you invest

• Supply: how many courts are already within easy reach of your site, and how full they are at peak times
• Demand: the players, clubs and companies in your catchment, and whether they play today or travel to play
• The site: room for the courts, enough free height indoors, a level base, and the right orientation outdoors
• Permits and noise: a building permit and a noise assessment before you commit
• Build quality: courts that last more than 20 years with proper maintenance and are rated for the wind and climate of the site
• A business plan that still works at an occupancy well below what the best venues achieve

Where we come in

We have installed 355 courts since 2020 for customers in 11 countries, from tennis clubs and padel centres to companies and institutions. We take a project from the technical consultation and the design, through the permit documentation, to installation and certification. A complete project usually takes six to ten weeks, including foundations, permits and site preparation.

Planning a padel venue? Send us your site and your plans with a quote request. For the practical side, read our guide to building a padel court.