It’s that time of year again, folks! The Playtomic Global Padel Report has become an annual touchstone for the industry and this year’s edition has just landed.
Produced each year by Playtomic and PwC’s Business Strategy Consulting arm Strategy&, the report contains some eye-catching statistics giving context to our sport’s continued growth. Here is a selection:
- In 2024 alone, 3,282 new clubs opened worldwide, averaging nearly nine new clubs per day (a 22% increase from 2023)
- Global padel courts topped 50,000 for the first time, a 17% YoY increase
- More than 81,000 padel courts are expected to be built by 2027
- Padel boasts an astounding 92% return rate after just one session, driven by its accessibility, social nature and addictive gameplay
- Playtomic Co-Founder and CCO, Pablo Carro, says there is a “remarkable social and cultural phenomenon we’re witnessing [with padel] in the UK”
Padel is experiencing faster and more sustainable global growth than ever before, with markets reaching maturity within just five to six years. The report picks out the UK (particularly London, Manchester and Bristol) as one of the nations showing strong momentum alongside France (particularly the south) and USA (notably Miami, Texas and California).
The report shows that 329 courts were built last year in Britain with high demand driven by clubs offering ‘additional services and high occupancy rates.’ The UK is named as the leading nation worldwide for gross monetary value per court (up 74% from 2023), which will be welcome news for operators and investors, even if players may feel somewhat aggrieved.
The UK section of the report quotes The Padel Paper‘s article on the launch of Slazenger’s debut club in Leeds last October and states that Slazenger Padel is a good example of “big brands engaging with the sport, either through acquisitions or organic growth.”
However, there are some puzzling elements to the report’s statistics offered on the UK, not least mention of ‘Dardy’ as fifth on the ‘top five counties’, and the fact that none of the other four are, in fact, counties at all. One suspects ‘Dardy’ is supposed to be Derby, but the map places it somewhere in mid Wales.
Want some more key findings?
· Global Growth Surge: Padel is now established in over 90 countries, with high-growth markets including Portugal, the Netherlands, U.S., UK, UAE, Mexico, India and Indonesia
· U.S. Boom is Coming: Padel is gaining momentum in the U.S., with Florida, California and Texas standing out as the major hotspots, while New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are states where padel is emerging. While 352 courts were built across the country in 2024, a significant expansion is projected for 2027.
· Pickleball Parallels: While often compared, the two sports are increasingly coexisting with 30% of U.S. pickleball venues now offering padel courts––a significant shift from 12 months ago.
· The “Sticky Sport”: Once people try padel, they’re hooked. With a 92% return rate, padel boasts an incredibly high return rate after just one session, driven by its accessibility, social nature and addictive gameplay.
· Tech-Driven Success: Padel clubs using digital tools are outperforming competitors by 3-5x, showing how data and smart booking are supercharging padel’s global ecosystem.
· Olympic Ambitions: With backing from the International Padel Federation (FIP), 2025 is a pivotal year for padel’s push toward inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
Playtomic Co-Founder and CCO, Pablo Carro, said: “With a new club opening every two and a half hours worldwide, padel has finally joined the top table of the world’s sporting elite. The highly-anticipated 2025 Playtomic and PWC Global Padel Report highlights just how far padel is expanding and evolving.
“From emerging hotspots, to player behavior and club performance, these insights are shaping the future of the sport. From the rapid momentum the sport is gaining in the United States, to the remarkable social and cultural phenomenon that we’re witnessing in the UK, the Report released today proves that padel’s time within mainstream society has now arrived, and at Playtomic, we are proud to be leading that transformation.”
PwC’s Head of the Global Padel Report, Elena Martin mentioned: “We are delighted to see that the sector has returned to a path of organic and sustainable growth, following the post-COVID activity surge and the adjustments made in 2023. With over 50,000 leads currently, development remains strong, particularly in key markets such as France and the United Kingdom. Our projections suggest that this growth momentum will continue in the years ahead.”
The full 2025 Playtomic Global Padel Report is now available to download here.
