Porto is about to host the biggest junior padel event Portugal has ever staged.
The International Padel Federation confirmed that the FIP Junior Euro Padel Cup runs at the Padel Athletic Club in Porto from 27 June to 4 July 2026, with qualification from 27 to 29 June and the Final 8 starting on 30 June. It is the first time Portugal has hosted a major junior event at this level, played across the Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18 categories, and it feeds into the qualification pathway for the FIP Junior World Cup 2027. Portugal's women's team is among the eight in the women's Final 8, alongside Spain, Italy and France.
If you play in Portugal, this is your scene, and it is worth watching even if your junior days are long behind you.
A federation milestone, on home courts#
This is a real marker of how far the sport has come here. "Hosting the FIP Junior Euro Padel Cup is the fulfillment of a long-held dream," said Ricardo da Silva Oliveira, president of the Portuguese Padel Federation. FIP president Luigi Carraro called Portugal "a country that is making an extraordinary contribution to the growth of Padel."
Porto getting the nod for a continental junior event says the country is now trusted to run padel at the top level, not just play it. For local players that means more high-level matches to watch, more clubs investing, and a clearer pathway for any kid who picks up a racket and turns out to be good.
Juniors are the pre-owned market in fast-forward#
Here is the angle most coverage will miss. Junior players churn through gear faster than anyone. A ten-year-old who starts this summer will grow, get stronger, and jump levels inside a year, and the racket that suited them in June rarely suits them the following season. Multiply that across a generation of new players inspired by a home tournament and you get a steady flow of barely-used gear that needs a second home.
That is exactly where a pre-owned marketplace earns its keep. A padel racket has no strings to wear out, just an EVA or foam core and a carbon or fibreglass face, so a frame a junior has outgrown after a season usually plays like new for the next kid coming up.
Kitting out a junior without overspending:
- Go lighter. A lighter frame is kinder on growing wrists and elbows.
- Do not overspend on a first racket. Court time improves a beginner far more than a €300 frame does.
- Buy pre-owned. A racket a player has moved up from is often nearly new.
- Resell when they outgrow it. Kids jump levels fast, and the frame they leave behind is someone else's perfect starter.
Watch the Cup, then sort your gear#
Tune in to the Final 8 from 30 June, then have a look at what is sitting unused in the cupboard. If your kid has outgrown a racket, list it in a few minutes and put it back in play. If you are kitting one out for the new season, start with pre-owned padel rackets before paying full price.
