SFIA report: Padel surpasses 1 million players in the US

Padel has crossed 1 million players in the US, according to the 2026 Topline Participation Report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA).

The report, which draws on data collected throughout 2025, tracked padel for the first time in the survey’s history.

The SFIA’s annual study is the largest of its kind in the country, surveying 18,000 Americans aged six and older across a nationally representative sample.

In 2025, the organisation expanded its tracking from 124 to 126 total activities, adding two new sports: padel and disc golf.

The report counted 1,073,000 Americans who played padel in 2025. Of those, 835,000 played between one and seven times during the year, and 238,000 played eight or more times. That second group is a meaningful signal, given that US padel infrastructure is still in its early stages, with just over 1,000 courts open across 31 states as of April 2026.

The United States Padel Association (USPA) notes that inclusion alongside established racquet sports such as tennis and pickleball reflects the scale of padel’s growth and its standing as a measurable category in American recreation.

Bill Ullman, USPA president, said: “This is a milestone the padel community has earned. We’ve watched clubs open from coast to coast, seen our tournament calendar more than double in two years, and cheered US athletes compete on the world stage. Now the data from one of the most respected research institutions in American sport confirms what everyone in our community already knows: padel is here, and it’s growing fast.”

Padel’s debut in the SFIA data comes as racquet sports have had their strongest five-year run in US history. Participation rose from 13.9% of the US population in 2020 to 20.6% in 2025, and seven of the eight racquet sports tracked by SFIA posted year-on-year gains last year. Gen Z participation in racquet sports reached 27.1% in 2025, with millennials at 22.7%.

USPA says the 1 million figure matches what it has seen in its own numbers. Club membership grew 51.5% year-on-year in 2025, and individual membership grew 53.5%, with both continuing to climb in 2026. The USPA sanctioned 104 open tournaments in 2025. It says the 2026 schedule currently has 255, with more being added each month.

The USPA’s junior development programme, its inaugural National Collegiate Padel Championships, and its Olympic Pathway initiative targeting Brisbane 2032 are each designed to build a pipeline of players and convert casual participation into lifelong players.

Based on current infrastructure and growth, the USPA projects the US could reach 10,000 courts and more than 10 million players by 2030.

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