The world's best padel players have descended on Doha for six days of international competition, with 32 national teams, two world titles and a record €1.2 million prize fund up for grabs.
If you've played padel anywhere in the Middle East recently, you'll know just how popular the sport has become. From Dubai to Doha and Riyadh, courts are popping up everywhere, and what was once a relatively niche pastime has become one of the region's favourite sporting activities.
But while millions are enjoying the sport recreationally, the world's very best players are competing for something rather more significant this week.
Welcome to the FIP World Cup 2026 – the FIFA World Cup of padel – which kicked off in Qatar on Monday, November 2.
Running until Saturday, November 7, the tournament brings together 32 national teams at Doha's Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, with the world's leading players representing their countries rather than their usual professional partners.
And with the UAE among the competing nations, there's plenty for Middle Eastern padel fans to get excited about.
So, what exactly is the FIP World Cup?
Organised by the International Padel Federation (FIP), the sport's global governing body, the World Cup is the biggest international team competition in padel.
Think of it as padel's answer to football's FIFA World Cup, or tennis's Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.
Unlike the professional Premier Padel circuit, where players compete in pairs across a season of tournaments, the FIP World Cup sees athletes come together to represent their countries.
There are 16 men's national teams and 16 women's national teams competing in separate championships, with each competition divided into four groups of four.
Every country plays the other three nations in its group, with each head-to-head encounter decided over three doubles matches.
The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals on Thursday, November 5, followed by the semi-finals on Friday and the two championship finals on Saturday.
Who are the favourites?
If you've followed international padel, two countries will be immediately familiar: Spain and Argentina.
The two nations have dominated the sport internationally for years, and both arrive in Doha looking to extend that dominance.
Argentina are the defending men's champions, having beaten Spain in the 2024 final in Qatar, and are chasing a third consecutive world title.
Spain, meanwhile, are the reigning women's champions and are bidding for an extraordinary seventh successive crown, having defeated Argentina in the final two years ago.
The men's competition could be particularly interesting this time around, with Spain missing one of its biggest stars, Alejandro Galán, through injury.
Beyond the traditional powerhouses, Portugal, Italy and France will be hoping to challenge the established order.
What about the UAE and Qatar?
There's a strong regional presence at this year's tournament, with the UAE, Qatar and Egypt all involved.
The UAE men's team face a particularly difficult challenge after being drawn in Group B alongside Spain, Sweden and Paraguay.
Their opening match is against Paraguay on Monday, November 2, before further tests against Sweden and the formidable Spanish side.
Hosts Qatar, meanwhile, compete in Group C against Portugal, Chile and Germany, with home support potentially providing an advantage as they look to progress into the knockout stages.
Egypt represent the region in the women's competition, facing Italy, Sweden and Indonesia in Group C.
For the UAE in particular, the tournament provides an opportunity to measure its progress against some of the world's strongest padel nations, at a time when the sport's popularity across the Emirates continues to grow.
There's a record €1.2 million up for grabs
The 2026 edition is also making history financially.
A record €1.2 million prize fund is being offered, split equally between the men's and women's competitions.
According to FIP, that makes it the largest prize fund ever awarded at an official padel competition.
And the numbers are set to increase further, with the federation confirming that the 2028 World Cup will feature €1.35 million in prize money.
It's another sign of just how quickly padel is developing as a professional international sport.
Why is the World Cup being held in Qatar?
Doha has become one of the most important destinations on the international padel calendar.
Having previously hosted the world team championships in 2021 and 2024, Qatar is now staging the 2026 tournament and has already secured the rights to host the next edition in 2028.
The Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex is also an established venue on the professional circuit, having hosted the Qatar Major on the Premier Padel Tour.
For a country that has already hosted the FIFA World Cup, Formula 1 and numerous other major international sporting events, securing consecutive editions of padel's flagship national-team competition is another addition to its growing sporting portfolio.
And with the sport continuing to expand across the Gulf, having the world's best players competing in the region provides another opportunity to introduce new audiences to padel at its highest level.
How can you follow the action?
The FIP World Cup takes place from November 2–7, 2026, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
Group-stage matches run from Monday to Wednesday, followed by the quarter-finals on Thursday, semi-finals on Friday and finals on Saturday.
Fans can find the latest fixtures, results, draws and tournament information through the International Padel Federation's official website, www.padelfip.com.
And whether you're an experienced padel player or someone who's only recently picked up a racket, there's no better opportunity to see just how good the world's elite really are.
