Game formats

Game formats

Padel has several popular formats that differ in scoring, team set-up and tournament length.

The classic doubles format is a standard 2v2 match played in sets.

Mexicano is a format where winners play winners and losers play losers. This quickly groups players by ability level.

Americano is a format where players rotate according to a fixed schedule rather than their previous results. Everyone takes turns playing with and against every other participant.

Divisions are a league format in which players are grouped by level and play regular matches within their division.

Group Stage + Playoffs is a tournament format where players first compete in groups, then the top teams progress to the knockout stage.

Win Court is a tournament format where winners move up to a higher-numbered court and losers move down. The strongest pairs therefore play on Court 1.

Find a more detailed explanation of each format in its dedicated section.

Note: rules for individual formats may differ between clubs and leagues. Always check the details before the session or tournament begins.

Set matches

The classic padel format is played in sets. A match is divided into several larger segments, called sets, in which pairs play each other under standard scoring rules.

You can keep the same partner throughout, or change partners between matches or rounds. That depends on the league or club format, rather than on padel’s official rules.

How it works:

• a set is won by the first pair to win six games with a margin of at least two games. At 6–5, the set continues; it can end at 7–5, 6–4 and so on

• at 6–6, a tiebreak is played. See the Tiebreak section for details

Standard game scoring:

0 points — “love” or simply “zero”. 1 point — 15. 2 points — 30. 3 points — 40. 4 points, with a margin of at least two points — game.

At 40–40, the score is called deuce. One pair must then win two consecutive points: the first gives them advantage, and the second wins the game.

Golden point:

• at 40–40, one deciding point is played

• the receiving pair chooses whether to receive from the right or left side of the court

• the pair that wins that point wins the game

Star point:

• a Star point is played if the score returns to deuce for a third time

• after the first deuce, an advantage point is played. If the score returns to deuce, another advantage point is played

• if the score returns to deuce again, the Star point is played

• the receiving pair also chooses the receiving side of the court

• the pair that wins the Star Point wins the game

Note: amateur leagues may use shortened match formats, such as mini-sets to four games, one set instead of three, or a super tiebreak instead of a third set. Always check your tournament rules.

Mexicano

A format in which participants change partners in every round, while the next pairs and opponents are determined by the current leaderboard.

Winners play winners and losers play losers. This quickly groups players by level, so over time you will play with and against people of a similar standard.

There are two ways to play:

• individual: each player competes for themselves and earns individual points. Partners change after every game

• team: players are assigned to teams, and points count towards the team total

How it works:

• four players are on court at a time, playing 2v2

• after every set or game, depending on the format, players change partners and opponents

• points from every game are added together

• the player or team with the highest total wins

If you play sets, use standard 15–30–40 scoring. See the Set matches section for more details.

You can also play to a fixed number of points — for example, 16, 24 or 32. The total should be divisible by four.

Note: partner rotation and scoring rules can vary. Check the format before you start.

Americano

A format in which players rotate partners according to a fixed schedule after every game. Everyone takes turns playing with and against all other participants, regardless of the previous result.

There are two ways to play:

• individual: each player competes for themselves and earns individual points. Partners change after every game

• team: players are assigned to teams, and points count towards the team total

How it works:

• four players are on court at a time, playing 2v2

• after every set or game, depending on the format, players change partners and opponents following a fixed schedule

• points from every game are added together

• the player or team with the highest total wins

If you play sets, use standard 15–30–40 scoring. See the Set matches section for more details.

You can also play to a fixed number of points — for example, 16, 24 or 32. The total should be divisible by four.

Note: partner rotation and scoring rules can vary. Check the format before you start.

Divisions

A format that groups players by ability level to keep matches fair and competitive.

Divisions are usually ranked on a letter scale from D, for beginners, to A, for advanced or professional players; some clubs use a numerical scale from 1.0 to 7.0 instead.

Competitions within a division are usually played as a round robin, with each pair playing every other pair in its division.

How it works:

• players are grouped by level into divisions, for example Division 1, Division 2 and so on

• players within each division play regular matches against one another

• points are awarded for each match — for a win and, in some cases, for participation

• the highest-ranked players move up; the lowest-ranked players move down

How scoring works:

• league points can be awarded in different ways, for example two points for a win, one for participation and none for a loss

• some leagues also use game or set difference as a tiebreaker

Note: promotion and relegation systems vary between leagues. Check your league rules.

Group stage + playoffs

A tournament format in which players first compete in groups, then the top performers progress to the knockout stage.

How it works:

• participants are divided into groups, usually with three or four teams or pairs per group

• within each group, everyone plays everyone else in a round robin

• the top teams from each group — for example, the top one or two — progress to the playoffs

• the playoff stage is single elimination: the losing team is out, while the winner advances

• the final determines the tournament champion

If this format is played across several days and a team cannot take part in the next stage, it receives a walkover loss.

Note: the number of teams progressing from each group and the playoff structure may vary. Check the tournament rules.

Win Court

A tournament format played across several courts, ranked in order — for example, Courts 1 to 5. After each game, winners move up one court and losers move down one court.

The strongest pairs play on Court 1. Beginners, or pairs that have lost several games in a row, play on the lowest court.

How it works:

• before the tournament begins, pairs are assigned to courts, usually based on level or at random

• one game is played on each court, to a set score such as six or seven points

• winners move up one court and losers move down one court

• on Court 1, winners remain on Court 1 while losers move down to Court 2

• on the lowest court, losers remain there while winners move up to the court above

• play continues in rounds

• the winning pair is the one that earns the most points or spends the longest time on the higher courts

Some formats award points for each winning round. For example, a win on Court 1 may be worth one point, while a win on Court 2 is worth 0.5 points, and so on.

Win Court can also be played as an individual format, where each player competes for themselves rather than staying with one partner. Some clubs call this format King of the Court; the core idea is the same.

Note: rules may vary between clubs. Check the format before you start.