François-Xavier Coninck, head of competitions and rankings at the FFT, says the 2025-2026 season reached 45,000 FFT padel tournament approvals. In this count, one approval corresponds to the federation’s registration of a tournament and may cover several events. He estimates that the 2026-2027 season could approach 60,000 approvals. For players, two points are already set for 2027: P500 tournaments have a fixed points scale and unjustified W.O.s are regulated, with no additional sanction announced to date.
45,000 approvals and schedules that are harder to balance
In an interview conducted during the 2026 French Championships at Padel Plus Agen, François-Xavier Coninck says the previous season stood at around 31,000 to 32,000 approvals and that the P50 category, introduced during the season, has already generated more than 12,000 approvals in six months.
I therefore would not be surprised if we could approach 60,000 approvals by the end of the season.
François-Xavier Coninck does not describe the current situation as an outright excess of tournaments. He is calling above all for better scheduling. Some leagues are already beginning to coordinate dates, especially from P250 and P500 level, to prevent nearby clubs from running comparable events on the same day.
The interview was conducted at Padel Plus Agen during the French Championships. The host club also publishes images from the competition on its official Instagram account.
P500s and W.O.s: what the FFT rules already change
The FFT’s official competition guide for the 2027 sporting year confirms a single points scale for P500 tournaments and higher categories. Points therefore depend on finishing position rather than the final number of pairs in the draw. A withdrawal or an incomplete field no longer reduces the points scale players expect.
François-Xavier Coninck also acknowledges that the last teams admitted at the P500 cut-off can be below the level usually associated with the category. Clubs sometimes prefer to complete the draw rather than cancel or downgrade the event. The current system keeps tournaments running, but it also fuels the debate over the actual depth of some P500 fields.
The 2027 FFT rules already set consequences for unjustified W.O.s. From P25 to P500, a pair that has not played three matches and refuses a classification match can be placed last in the tournament. In a draw, an unjustified W.O. can also place the pair last in the relevant phase and bar it from classification matches.
François-Xavier Coninck says late withdrawals and skipped classification matches remain a recurring issue. The FFT is considering other measures, but no additional rule has been announced. With 175,000 ranked players according to the federation official, any change will need to work across the whole French competition structure, not only at the highest-level tournaments.
