Padel will make its debut as a medal sport at the 2026 Mediterranean Games from 22 to 28 August in Taranto, Italy. The list published by the International Padel Federation on 13 August includes 88 athletes: 49 men and 39 women. Seventeen nations have entered, with Athletica Vaticana joining for a demonstration appearance.
Medals will be awarded in the men’s, women’s and mixed events. The FIP lists 17 countries in the men’s draw, 14 in the women’s draw and 12 in the mixed event. Matches will be staged at the Salinella Mediterranean Park. The 136 registrations announced in July were preliminary, while the latest list has narrowed the field to 88 players.
What are the Mediterranean Games? This multi-sport event brings together delegations from around the Mediterranean. The Taranto edition runs from 21 August to 3 September 2026, with padel played over seven days.
Which country will host the 2026 Mediterranean Games? Italy, in Taranto.
What is the padel programme at the 2026 Mediterranean Games? The three events run from Saturday 22 to Friday 28 August, with men’s, women’s and mixed competitions.
Spain names eight established international players
Spain will travel with four men and four women. David Gala, José Diestro, Pol Hernández and Guille Collado make up the men’s selection. Former world No. 1 players Lucía Sainz and Patty Llaguno provide experience in the women’s group, which also includes Jimena Velasco and Nuria Rodríguez.
Hernández and Collado have become one of Spain’s most consistent pairings in recent months. Gala, born in 2006, belongs to a younger generation that is already familiar with the international circuit. The composition of each event will give the Spanish coach several possible combinations.
Italy, Portugal and France bring strong squads
Italy has selected Carolina Orsi, Giorgia Marchetti, Carlotta Casali and Giulia Dal Pozzo in the women’s competition. Marco Cassetta, Flavio Abbate, Álvaro Montiel and Simone Iacovino will represent the host nation in the men’s event. Dal Pozzo has produced one of the season’s notable rises, while Orsi, Marchetti and Cassetta already have international team medals.
Portugal will rely on Sofia and Pedro Araújo plus brothers Miguel and Nuno Deus. Ana Nogueira and Pedro Graça add continental experience. France has named Louise Bahurel, Lucile Pothier, Charlotte Soubrié and Steffi Merah in the women’s selection, with Bastien Blanqué, Dylan Guichard, Yoan Boronad and Timéo Fonteny in the men’s group.
Interest extends beyond the leading nations
Egypt and Kosovo will each send eight athletes, while Cyprus has six. Tunisia’s squad includes Dora Chamli, the first African woman to win a match on the Premier Padel circuit. Morocco has selected former ATP world No. 160 Reda El Amrani, and Monaco fields the youngest participant, 2009-born Noah Minioni.
The official technical manual sets out knockout draws, best-of-three-set matches, golden point at deuce and a bronze-medal play-off. FIP president Luigi Carraro summarised the institutional importance of the debut:
Padel’s debut at the 2026 Mediterranean Games marks another historic milestone for our sport.
The FIP also presented the sport’s inclusion in the programme on its official Instagram account:
Taranto will provide a full-scale test for a delegation-based multi-sport tournament. It supports the FIP’s Olympic project, but it does not place padel on the Olympic Games programme.
