Premier Padel's flagship Qatar Major falls to Middle East conflict

The Ooredoo Qatar Major 2026, originally scheduled for April 6–11 in Doha, has been indefinitely postponed due to the US-Israel-Iran military conflict that erupted in late February 2026. Premier Padel, the International Padel Federation (FIP), and the Qatar Padel Federation jointly announced the decision on March 16, 2026, citing "the unprecedented situation in the wider region." No rescheduled date has been announced. The postponement strips the 2026 season of its first Major — the tournament category worth the most ranking points and prize money — and leaves a gap in the calendar until the Italy Major in Rome on June 1. The loss is symbolically significant: the Qatar Major was the very first Premier Padel tournament ever held, in March 2022, and remains one of just four Majors on the global circuit.

Iranian missile strikes on Qatar forced the decision

The official statement's diplomatic phrasing — "unprecedented situation in the wider region" — refers to the 2026 Iran war. On approximately March 1, 2026, the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran that killed senior Iranian leadership. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases and critical infrastructure across the Gulf, including direct strikes on Qatar. Al Udeid Air Base, Hamad International Airport in Doha, and the Ras Laffan LNG facility were all targeted, with Iran launching additional strikes on Ras Laffan on March 18, causing extensive damage. Qatar's airspace was repeatedly closed, and the country expelled Iranian military attachés on March 19.

The decision had been building for at least a week before the formal announcement — Padelvoz.com published an exclusive on March 9 reporting that a call on the Qatar Major's fate was imminent, as the conflict caused major disruption to sporting events across the region. The disruption was already tangible inside padel itself: Spanish player Javi Leal was forced to withdraw from the Gijón P2 (March 1–8) after becoming stranded in Dubai due to airspace closures, while top-ranked pair Lucas Bergamini and Javi Garrido had to arrange a complex alternative route to reach Spain.

The Qatar Major was far from the only sporting casualty. Formula 1 cancelled both the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix entirely, reducing its season from 24 to 22 races. MotoGP postponed its Qatar Grand Prix from April to November. FIFA's Finalissima between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for March 27 in Lusail, was cancelled. The World Endurance Championship's season opener at Qatar's Lusail circuit was pushed to October.

What the official statement said — and what comes next

The institutional announcement, issued jointly on March 16, confirmed that the Ooredoo Qatar Major, originally scheduled for April 6–11 in Doha, had been postponed due to the unprecedented situation in the wider region. It added that the Premier Padel Steering Committee — comprising 20 members representing 11 stakeholders across the tour — would be convened shortly to discuss the potential wider implications for the 2026 season. The statement was posted on Premier Padel's X account at 3:03 PM on March 16. On the FIP's official 2026 calendar, the event now appears as "QATAR MAJOR · POSTPONED · Doha - Qatar" with no dates listed.

Critically, the language used is "postponed" rather than "cancelled," leaving the door open for rescheduling later in the season. However, as of March 23, the Steering Committee meeting has not produced any public outcome, and no new date has been proposed. The next Major on the calendar is the Italy Major in Rome (June 1–7), meaning the tour faces a months-long gap without its premier tournament category if Qatar is not rescheduled. Two other Middle East events remain on the 2026 calendar — Kuwait P1 (October 26–31) and Dubai P1 (November 9–15) — though their status could change depending on how the regional situation evolves.

A tournament worth €1 million and 2,000 ranking points

The Qatar Major carried a reported prize pool of approximately €1 million across men's and women's draws — nearly double the €532,900 offered at the 2025 edition, reflecting the tour's rapid commercial growth. Winners in each draw would earn €50,000 per player (€100,000 per pair). For context, P1 events offer €250,000 total prize pools, making a Major roughly four times as lucrative.

The ranking points at stake are equally significant. Majors award up to 2,000 FIP ranking points to winners — equivalent to winning two P1 tournaments. The postponement disrupts competitive preparation and the ranking race for every player in the top tiers.

The tournament would have attracted the full elite of professional padel. On the men's side, world number ones Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello — defending Qatar Major champions with an 91.7% career win rate and a record 47-match win streak in 2024 — were the overwhelming favourites. Number two pair Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto, who had just upset Tapia/Coello at the Gijón P2 final, were building momentum. On the women's side, top-ranked Gemma Triay and Delfina Brea led a reshuffled field following the high-profile Sánchez/Josemaría partnership split.

The birthplace of Premier Padel has a unique place in the sport's history

The Qatar Major is not just another tournament on the calendar — it is where Premier Padel began. The inaugural Premier Padel event was held in Doha on March 28–April 2, 2022, with a then-record 123 pairs registered. Every year since, the Qatar Major has served as the season's opening Major, setting the competitive tone for the year. In 2025, the tournament drew celebrity spectators including Steven Gerrard, David Villa, MrBeast, and F1 driver George Russell, with officials describing it as the most important event on the Premier Padel global tour. In mid-2025, the FIP announced multi-year renewal agreements for three Majors — Italy (Foro Italico), Paris (Roland Garros), and Qatar (Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex) — cementing Doha's long-term role on the circuit.

The tournament is one of only four Majors in 2026, alongside Rome, Paris, and Acapulco. Losing it, even temporarily, removes a quarter of the sport's highest-tier competitive opportunities for the season.

The 2026 season presses on amid uncertainty

Despite the Qatar disruption, the rest of the 2026 Premier Padel calendar — the tour's largest ever, with 26 tournaments across 18 countries on five continents — continues as planned. The Miami P1 was live as of March 23, following completed events in Riyadh and Gijón and a Cancún P2. The Newgiza P2 in Egypt (April 13–18), the event immediately following the cancelled Qatar week, remains on schedule, though Egypt's relative proximity to the conflict zone has drawn some scrutiny.

The 2026 season has also seen notable developments beyond Qatar. Several high-profile partnership reshuffles have shaken up the competitive landscape — Juan Lebrón pairing with Leo Augsburger, Bea González joining Paula Josemaría after the Sánchez/Josemaría split. New markets are debuting on the tour, including London (P1, August), Pretoria (the first Premier Padel event in Africa, July–August), and Valencia. The sport's Olympic ambitions also continue, with FIP President Luigi Carraro meeting both outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach and incoming president Kirsty Coventry.

Conclusion

The Qatar Major postponement is the most significant disruption to the Premier Padel calendar since the tour's founding in 2022. It removes the birthplace tournament and season-opening flagship from a sport still building its global profile. The deliberate use of "postponed" rather than "cancelled" signals organisational intent to reschedule, but the ongoing military situation in the Gulf makes any near-term return to Doha uncertain. The Steering Committee's forthcoming decisions will determine whether Qatar gets a later slot in the packed 2026 calendar — or whether the sport's most historically significant Major simply sits this year out. For the world's top players, the immediate calculation is stark: 2,000 ranking points and €1 million in prize money are in limbo, and every week without clarity reshapes the competitive season.