The FIP Padel World Cup returns to Doha from 2 to 7 November, with 16 men's and 16 women's national teams at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex. Argentina defend the men's title and Spain the women's, two years after both won in the same venue.
Venue and prize money
The International Padel Federation (FIP) confirmed in July that Qatar would host both the 2026 and 2028 editions at the Khalifa complex, which has staged the Qatar Major four times and the 2024 world championships. The 2026 event offers €1.2 million in prize money, shared equally between the men's and women's competitions, rising to €1.35 million in 2028. FIP president Luigi Carraro said Qatar had shown it "possesses all the necessary qualities to host world-class events".
Format: three pairs per tie
Each tie between two nations is decided over three matches played by three different pairs, so depth matters as much as star power. Coaches pick eight players and leave two on the bench for each tie. According to the Lawn Tennis Association, both draws are organised as four seeded groups of four, with each group winner going through to the semi-finals. The group draw had not been published when we went to press.
Who is in the field
Ten places in each draw went to the top nine nations from the 2024 championships plus the hosts, Qatar. Regional qualifiers filled most of the rest. In the men's event, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, France, Chile, Sweden, Qatar, the United States, Mexico, Paraguay, the Netherlands and Germany are confirmed. The women's field includes Spain, Argentina, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Brazil, Belgium, Qatar, the United States, Paraguay, Chile, Great Britain and Germany.
Germany qualified in both the men's and women's events at the European qualifier in Madrid in September, while the Netherlands beat Belgium to clinch the second men's spot. Great Britain's women won every tie in Madrid and return to the World Cup for the first time since 2021, The Padel Paper reports. The final two places, one per draw, are decided at the Asia-Africa qualifier in Kuwait from 26 to 30 October.
The favourites
Every recent final has been Spain against Argentina, and few expect a different pairing this time. In the 2024 men's final in Doha, Spain's Arturo Coello and Coki Nieto won the opening match 6-1 6-2. Agustín Tapia and Fede Chingotto levelled against Juan Lebrón and Ale Galán, and Tino Libaak and Leo Augsburger beat Paquito Navarro and Mike Yanguas 3-6 7-5 7-6 to give Argentina their 12th title. Spain's women beat Argentina in the final for a sixth straight crown.
Both giants have already named their squads. Argentina have changed two names from the 2024 winners, choosing Gonza Alfonso over Juan Tello (our Argentina squad report). Spain bring Coello, Galán and Lebrón for the men and a women's group mixing Gemma Triay with teenagers Martina Calvo and Andrea Ustero (our Spain squad report).
What it means for the tour
The World Cup does not count towards the Premier Padel race, but its timing is tight. The Kuwait Major finishes on 31 October and the Dubai P1 starts on 8 November, the day after the final. For where the season stands, see our end-of-season preview and the padel rankings.
Sources
This article was written by TiebreakNews from the reporting below, checked against official results and rankings.
- International Padel Federation — FIP World Cup: Qatar confirmed as host of the 2026 and 2028 editions
- International Padel Federation — Germany secure double qualification for the FIP World Cup 2026 in Doha. Netherlands and Great Britain also celebrate
- The Padel Paper — Argentina's men are world champions; Spain's women reign again
- The Padel Paper — FIP World Cup glory for GB's women but men fall short in Madrid
- LTA Padel — What is the FIP World Cup?