The headline number first. The International Padel Federation's World Padel Report 2025, published in December, puts the sport past 35 million players worldwide. Courts grew 15.2% across the year to more than 77,300, spread over roughly 24,600 clubs, with over 14,300 new courts built in 2025 alone. That works out to around 39 new courts every single day. About 40% of players are women, a remarkably even split for a racket sport. Portugal ranks 12th in the world with 1,560 courts.
Those are big numbers, and most coverage stops there. The part nobody writes about is what a boom like this does to gear.
A growing sport is a gear machine#
Here is the thing about a sport adding 14,300 courts a year. Every one of those courts brings new players, and every new player buys a racket. Then most of them, once they get the bug, buy a better one within a season. I have watched it happen in my own group three times this year. Someone picks up a soft entry frame, falls for the game, and six months later wants more control or more pop and trades up.
That upgrade cycle is the engine of a healthy pre-owned market. The frames people outgrow are not worn out. A padel racket has no strings to lose tension, just an EVA or foam core and a carbon or fibreglass face, so a year-old racket in good nick plays almost like new. When this many players upgrade at once, a lot of very good gear needs a second home.
Spain set the template, Portugal is mid-climb#
Spain is the established heart of the sport, with over 6 million players and more than 17,300 courts, per the FIP. It shows where a mature padel market lands: deep and busy, with players cycling through gear constantly. Portugal is a few years behind on that curve and climbing fast, which is the most interesting place to be. 1,560 courts and rising means a steady stream of brand-new players who need an affordable first racket, and a steady stream of improving players ready to sell the one they started on.
We built EpicRackets in exactly this gap. The boom is not only about buying new. It is about keeping good gear in play.
What the boom means for you#
| If you are... | What's happening | Smart move |
|---|---|---|
| New to padel | Entry rackets are everywhere, new and pre-owned | Buy pre-owned and save the upgrade budget for when you know your style |
| Improving fast | You have outgrown your first frame | Sell it to fund the next one, it still has plenty of life |
| Sitting on old gear | Demand for second-hand rackets is climbing with the sport | List it now, while new players are looking |
The Playtomic Global Padel Report 2026 projects the sport could reach 91,000 courts by 2028. If that holds, the gear changing hands is only going to grow. The smart play, for your wallet and for the planet, is to treat a good used racket as a first option, not a fallback.
Have a browse through pre-owned padel rackets, or if you have a frame gathering dust, list it in a few minutes. Someone in this wave is looking for exactly what you have stopped using.
Source: FIP World Padel Report 2025.
