World padel in 2026 is now represented by 115 national federations affiliated with the International Padel Federation (FIP). Fifteen new members were admitted at its 36th General Assembly on 12 October at the Spanish Olympic Committee headquarters in Madrid. Zambia is among them and says it has been accepted as a Class C member.
Six African federations among the new FIP members
The Zambia Padel Federation confirmed its admission on Instagram on 12 October. It thanked the National Sports Council of Zambia and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts for their institutional support. Its stated priorities are to build a recognised national structure, organise competitions and create opportunities for Zambian players to compete internationally.
Membership gives the Zambian federation formal recognition within the international governing body. It does not automatically qualify a national team for the Padel World Cup. No national competition timetable or date for Zambia’s international debut has been announced.
Zambia is joined by Angola, Libya, Mauritius, Namibia and Tanzania, meaning six of the fifteen new members are African countries. The FIP’s list also includes Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Colombia, Peru, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.
Africa already hosts international events. The first FIP Junior Africa Padel Cup took place in Alexandria, Egypt, in June.
How many member federations does the FIP have in 2026?
The FIP has 115 member federations in October 2026, up from 100 at the end of 2025. It admitted 14 new federations at the November 2025 General Assembly in Acapulco. The global padel figures for 2026 also note more than 35 million players worldwide, based on FIP data for 2025. Countries where padel is played should not be confused with officially affiliated national federations.
The meeting in Madrid also celebrated the 35th anniversary of the FIP, founded in the Spanish capital in 1991 by the federations of Spain, Argentina and Uruguay. Their representatives signed a symbolic founding document alongside Mexico, where padel originated, and FIP president Luigi Carraro.
Carraro welcomed the contributions expected from the newly admitted federations in the FIP’s official statement:
“Our 15 new member federations will bring fresh perspectives to that collective effort.”
The CUPRA FIP Tour now operates in 60 countries. The junior FIP Promises circuit reaches 36 countries and has introduced four continental tours.
World League and Olympic hopes: the Madrid announcements
The FIP outlined its forthcoming FIP World League, designed to offer more international competition opportunities to national teams that do not take part in the World Cup. It also identified the development of para padel as a priority. When will the World League begin? The FIP has not yet announced a start date or detailed format.
Is padel an Olympic sport in 2026? No. Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, supported a greater role for padel in the Olympic movement. His statement does not amount to an announcement that the sport will join the Olympic Games. The FIP has scheduled the release of its World Padel Report 2026 for 14 October, including an economic impact study conducted with OpenEconomics.
