Organised by Fira de Barcelona and the International Padel Cluster
Padel World Summit drives in Barcelona to promote the opportunities of this sport
The professional world of padel has a new appointment in Barcelona. Padel World Summit is preparing its first edition in the city with the aim of becoming the great national and international meeting point for companies and professionals of this sport, boosting its business and consolidating its growth as a global sport. The event, which will include an exhibition area, congress, investor forum and on-track demonstrations, will take place from 27 to 29 May at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue.
Fira de Barcelona and the International Padel Cluster have reached an agreement to co-organise Padel World Summit (PWS) in Barcelona for the next five years, after a first edition in Malaga, with the aim of positioning itself as a benchmark platform in the generation of new business opportunities and knowledge exchange for all the professional agents that shape the global padel ecosystem.
Thus, PWS will have in its exhibition area some 150 companies that will show the latest developments in the sector in sports goods (rackets, balls, textiles, footwear…), paddle tennis courts, components and materials, sport tech products and services, club and court management software or maintenance and management services.
The event is expected to bring together nearly 6,000 visitors including members of clubs, retailers, distributors, investors, federations, professional players and coaches, official bodies or tour operators, among other profiles.
Mireia Álvarez, president of the International Padel Cluster and the Advisory Committee of the event, explains that “padel, as a sport, has to face great challenges such as expansion to new countries, promoting professional circuits or joining forces to be an Olympic sport. The celebration of Padel World Summit at Fira de Barcelona gives us a new impetus to carry out our objectives”.
For his part, Àlex Ponseti, director of the Padel World Summit, says that “at the PWS, visions, solutions and successful models will be shared to consolidate padel as a global sport. From the show we work to generate business opportunities, attract investment and strengthen the ecosystem that surrounds this exciting sport”.
Congress and activities
Padel World Summit will include the celebration of the Padel Global Conference, a forum entitled ‘Building a Global Phenomenon from the Ground Up’ with the participation of more than a hundred speakers where the importance of consolidating padel as a sport by promoting its practice from the grassroots will be highlighted. Its programme will also address issues related to innovation and technology, opportunities and investment, regulation and approvals, management and logistics, tourism and sport, sustainability and efficiency, training and development, health and well-being or competitions and circuits, among others.
In addition, in Hall 6 of the Gran Via venue, venue of the event, eight courts will be set up where games and product presentations will take place.
As a complement to this offer, the event will have the Investor & Business Forum, an exclusive networking space that will connect investors, venture capital funds and entrepreneurs in search of business opportunities and financing in the field of padel. In addition, a gala dinner will be held with the most prominent actors of this sport worldwide.
A growing sector
The padel sector is experiencing remarkable growth worldwide. According to the ‘Global Padel Report 2024’ published by Playtomic and PwC’s, it is estimated that the global padel club market will reach a value of 6,000 million euros in 2026.
Spain stands out as the country in the world with the highest number of courts built, with a total of 16,000 of the almost 60,000 in the world (70% of which in Europe). Italy is the second market, with 8,340 slopes, followed by Argentina with 7,000 and Sweden with 4,200.
The report also highlights the great potential for growth that the sport has in countries and regions where it is still in an early stage, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States, the Middle East and Asia.
At the sporting level, the International Padel Federation (FIP) estimates that, currently, there are 30 million amateur players in the 130 countries where this sport is practiced. The FIP has a total of 71 affiliated national federations with 600,000 federated players worldwide.
And it is, in this context, that the Padel World Summit 2025 aims to contribute to turning Barcelona, also home to the Premier Padel Finals, into the world capital of this sport, and the key platform for professionals and investors in its most economical aspect.