International padel includes a professional tour, a world governing body and national federations. The structure has changed considerably since this article was first written, particularly with the end of World Padel Tour and the creation of a single unified professional tour.
Premier Padel
Premier Padel is the leading official professional padel tour. It launched in 2022 and became the unified global professional tour from 2024 after World Padel Tour was brought into the new structure.
The tour brings together the highest level of men's and women's professional padel across an international calendar.
International Padel Federation (FIP)
The International Padel Federation (FIP) is the world governing body for padel.
FIP establishes the official rules of the sport, manages the official international rankings and coordinates international competition. Its calendar includes Premier Padel, the CUPRA FIP Tour and international team competitions, as well as youth and amateur events.
National federations affiliate to FIP and represent the sport within their own countries.
World Padel Tour (WPT)
World Padel Tour is now part of padel history rather than the current professional circuit.
WPT was the major professional tour for more than a decade and played an important role in the international growth of the sport. In 2023 an agreement was announced to bring World Padel Tour and Premier Padel together, creating a single global professional tour from the 2024 season.
Older The Padel School articles and videos may therefore still refer to World Padel Tour when discussing professional players or events from that period.
National Federations
Each country can have a national federation or governing organisation responsible for developing and administering padel domestically.
The exact structure varies by country. In some places padel sits within an existing tennis or racket-sport federation, while elsewhere it is governed by a dedicated padel body.
National federations can be involved in areas such as competitions, national teams, rankings, coach development and the wider growth of the sport.
How the Structure Fits Together
In simple terms:
- Premier Padel is the leading global professional tour.
- FIP is the international governing body for the sport.
- National federations govern and develop padel within individual countries.
- World Padel Tour is the former professional circuit and remains relevant when reading historical padel content.
For current professional-tour information, visit Premier Padel. For international governance, rankings and competition information, visit FIP.
