Padel is set to make its historic debut as a medal sport at the XX Mediterranean Games in Taranto 2026, bringing together 88 elite athletes from 18 different nations. The tournament will take place at the Parco Mediterraneo Salinella from August 22 to August 28, marking a significant milestone for the sport on the international stage.
Tournament Schedule and Competition Format
The competition will feature three distinct categories: men’s, women’s, and mixed events. All matches will follow a single-elimination format, utilizing a best-of-three-set structure that includes tie-breaks and the Star Point rule. To ensure fairness, athletes participating in both gender-specific and mixed draws will be provided with sufficient recovery time between matches.
The progression of the tournament is structured as follows:
- August 21: The official draws will be held, with tournament seeds determined based on the current FIP Ranking.
- August 22: The event officially kicks off with the first round of the men’s competition, followed by the opening matches of the women’s draw in the afternoon.
- August 23: The mixed event begins, signaling the start of the tournament's most intense phase.
- August 25–26: The competition narrows down as players face off in the quarter-finals.
- August 27: The semi-final matches take place to determine who will advance to the medal rounds.
- August 28 ("Super Friday"): The grand finale of the event. The morning will feature the bronze-medal matches for all three categories. The afternoon will host the gold-medal finals, starting with the mixed final, followed by the women’s final, and concluding with the men’s final to crown the first-ever Mediterranean Games Padel champions.
With 88 athletes representing 18 countries, the Parco Mediterraneo Salinella is prepared to host a week of high-level competition, cementing Padel's place within the Mediterranean Games program.
