FIP Beyond Padel: The New Global Amateur Circuit Explained

For the 35 million people around the world who play padel recreationally, the sport has always lacked something the professional game takes for granted: a structured international home. That changes in 2026. The International Padel Federation has launched FIP Beyond padel, a brand new global amateur circuit complete with international rankings, tiered tournaments, prize money, and a long-term pathway that leads — eventually — to a World Cup by Pairs. Here is everything you need to know.

What Is FIP Beyond?

FIP Beyond is the first global padel tour built exclusively for adult amateur players. It was ratified at the FIP's 35th General Assembly in Acapulco, Mexico in November 2025, officially announced on 23 December 2025, and opened for registrations on 21 March 2026. The inaugural event takes place in Mumbai on 6 April 2026 (International Padel Federation 2025a).

The circuit targets the estimated 35 million recreational padel players worldwide — the vast majority of whom have had no FIP competitive pathway until now. Only around 850,000 of those 35 million held licences with FIP-affiliated federations prior to FIP Beyond's creation (International Padel Federation 2026a).

FIP President Luigi Carraro framed the ambition plainly: "Soon we will launch the new global amateur circuit, FIP Beyond, starting in April. It targets 35 million padel players worldwide, and we want those 35 million to become 50 million in five years." (International Padel Federation 2026b).

How the Circuit Is Structured

• Three Tournament Tiers

FIP Beyond tournaments operate across three competitive levels:

B1 — the highest tier, with total prize money of €8,000–€18,000, aimed at established padel markets

B2 — mid-tier, offering €4,800–€10,800 in prize money across developing markets

B3 — the entry-level tier, offering a competitive experience without prize money

Prize money at B1 and B2 events is reserved exclusively for senior categories (players aged 40 and over). The 18–39 amateur category competes without financial reward at any tier (International Padel Federation 2025b).

Six Age Categories

Every FIP Beyond event must offer at least three of six age categories, with the +40 and +50 brackets always mandatory:

Amateur (18–39)

• Senior +40
• Senior +45
• Senior +50
• Senior +55
• Senior +60

The emphasis on senior players reflects a broader demographic reality: players over 40 represent one of the fastest-growing segments of padel participation globally (SGI Europe 2025).

A Separate Ranking — And a Road to a World Cup

FIP Beyond operates its own international ranking, entirely separate from the professional FIP ranking used in Premier Padel and the CUPRA FIP Tour. Each player's ranking is calculated from their best 11 results across the season, meaning players who cannot travel to every event can still build a competitive standing over time.

That ranking feeds into three pathway events designed to give the circuit long-term shape:

FIP Beyond Finals — an end-of-season championship for top-ranked players

• FIP Beyond Continental Cup by Pairs — planned for 2027
• FIP Beyond World Cup by Pairs — planned for 2028

The absence of professional ranking points is intentional. Unlike the CUPRA FIP Tour — which awards professional ranking points and serves as a development pathway toward Premier Padel — FIP Beyond is not a route to the professional game. It is structured competition for players who want international recognition without the pressures of a professional career (Padel Magazine 2025).

Where FIP Beyond Fits in the FIP Ecosystem

FIP Beyond completes a four-tier competitive pyramid that now spans the full range of padel participation:

CircuitTarget PlayersPremier PadelWorld professional eliteCUPRA FIP TourAspiring professionalsFIP PromisesJuniors (U12–U18)FIP BeyondAdult amateurs (18+)

Before FIP Beyond, there was no internationally recognised structure for recreational adult players outside of domestic leagues. The circuit fills that gap (The Padel Paper 2026).

The 2026 Calendar: Four Continents, 12 Events

The inaugural season spans 12 tournaments across 10 countries on four continents, with the FIP noting the calendar will be continuously updated. Key events include:

6–9 April — Mumbai, India (B3)

• 24–26 April — Dubai, UAE (B2)
• 27–30 April — Singapore (B3)

15–17 May — London, Great Britain — Stratford Padel Club (B2)

29–31 May — Samobor, Croatia (B1 — the only B1 event of the season)

3–6 September — Miami, USA (B3)

• 12–15 November — Melilla, Spain (B2)
• 25–29 November — Abidjan, Ivory Coast (B2)

The strong presence in Asia — Mumbai, Dubai, Singapore, and Manila — reflects FIP data showing 2.2 million amateur players across 30 Asian countries, with court numbers growing at 20% year on year (International Padel Federation 2026a).

What This Means for UK Players

The FIP Beyond B2 London event at Stratford Padel Club (15–17 May 2026) is the only confirmed UK tournament for the inaugural season, with total prize money of €4,200 available in the senior categories. Registration was listed as still closed as of late March 2026; players can monitor the event page at padelfip.com and register through the FIP Players Area portal at uno.padelfip.com.

The timing is significant for British padel. The LTA recorded over 400,000 padel players in Great Britain in 2024 — up from just 15,000 in 2019 — with more than 1,000 courts now operational across the country (LTA Padel 2024). FIP Beyond arrives at a moment when UK participation is scaling rapidly but structured international competition for amateur players has been largely absent.

How FIP Beyond will interact with the existing LTA British Padel Tour is yet to be formally resolved. As The Padel Paper noted, "the details of how the new FIP Beyond tour will dovetail with the many domestic amateur circuits in each nation are yet to be ironed out." (The Padel Paper 2026). The LTA's 2026 competition calendar — which includes 35 weeks of domestic competition — makes no mention of FIP Beyond.

How to Enter

To compete in FIP Beyond events, players need to:

Register on the FIP Players Area at uno.padelfip.com

Obtain or provide a licence number (your LTA membership number may apply)

Find a partner and register as a pair through the relevant tournament event page on padelfip.com

Entry fees are approximately €60 per player per category, which includes an official shirt and player experience activities. The registration deadline for each event is the Wednesday prior to tournament week at 5:00 PM CET. For queries, contact registration@padelfip.com (International Padel Federation 2026a).

The Bigger Picture

Whether FIP Beyond delivers on its promise will depend heavily on execution. Industry analysis from Actu-Padel raised a practical concern shared by many observers: for players aged 18–39 with no prize money on offer, entry will hinge on tangible factors — travel costs, event quality, and above all, competitive match standards (Actu-Padel 2026). SGI Europe pointed to the circuit's commercial value as a data infrastructure tool, providing "participation trends, geographic growth patterns and demographic engagement" intelligence that could benefit sponsors and broadcast partners as padel pursues Olympic inclusion (SGI Europe 2025).

What is clear is that the FIP has made a deliberate and structural commitment to the amateur game. For the millions of players — including a growing number in the UK — who have always wanted a shirt, a ranking, and a global stage to compete on, FIP Beyond padel is the most significant development in grassroots padel competition to date.