France drives global padel court growth in 2025

The Global Padel Report 2026 by Playtomic and Strategy& marks a turning point in the sport's global economy: France was the main driver of new court growth worldwide in 2025. While Spain moves into a maturity phase and markets such as Sweden or Chile undergo structural corrections, the French segment is seen as one of the most balanced and stable in the industry.

France is officially placed in the strategic "The Sweet Spot" category, alongside the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. These are markets with strong growth without the speculative excess seen elsewhere. Beyond raw numbers lies a deeper shift: the French padel market no longer relies only on hype or opening courts, but on professional operations, specialised clubs, high utilisation, links to existing tennis structures and the rise of private chains.

For operators, that means a clear focus on occupancy, pricing and site quality rather than a race for square metres alone. Investors in France today compete less for the first court in a region than for returning players, stable slot bookings and a balanced mix of leisure and tournament play.

Record year 2025: France leads court expansion

According to the report, France had an "exceptional year" in 2025 and accounted for the largest share of new courts added globally. Worldwide, 7,898 new courts were built, total stock reached 58,334 courts, and nearly 5,000 new clubs were created. Within this momentum, France acts as Europe's main engine.

The French curve has accelerated sharply since 2021:

Between 2021 and 2025, France's stock nearly quadrupled—a pace that keeps investors and operators watching closely.

"Sweet Spot": healthy growth instead of boom excess

The report ranks countries in five development stages—from "Padel Heartlands" to "Post-Boom Adjustment". France belongs to the Sweet Spot cluster with roughly 23% annual growth, five to 19 courts per 100,000 inhabitants and 1,000 to 4,000 players in the same scale. Private growth, disciplined expansion and strong demand absorption are typical.

This segment is described as "healthy, controlled growth" aligned with real demand: strong appetite, structural stability, continued high gains—but without massive overheating.

Why France is seen as a balanced market

Unlike countries with speculative explosions, France kept a more rational build-out. Playtomic and Strategy& cite three core elements: a "more structured" and "more disciplined" phase after the earlier hotspot era, utilisation well above mature-market benchmarks, and growth spread across regions rather than dependence on a few cities.

The key economic question is no longer only "How many courts do we open?" but "Are courts actually played on?" For France, the report's answer stays positive. The south remains historically strong—Occitanie, PACA and Nouvelle-Aquitaine with major legacy clubs, private chains, top events and active competitive pools—while growth increasingly goes national.

Two pillars in the club model

First, padel-only clubs drive current expansion: facilities built around the sport rather than a few courts in multi-sport venues. Second, integration into existing tennis infrastructure grows—with advantages on land costs, member bases and risk control.

Sweden, Spain and operating reality

Sweden stands for "deep correction": club closures, occupancy falling from 52 to 21 percent, overcapacity. France keeps opening at scale but stays more tied to real demand. Compared with Spain as a "Padel Heartland" with 14 to 37 courts per 100,000 people and up to 13,000 players in the same measure, France at five to 19 courts per capita remains far less dense—room to grow is large.

Operationally, about 65% of French courts are indoor, 35% outdoor. Indoor stabilises demand, cuts seasonality and supports higher revenue. Median prices are around €25 indoor and €40 outdoor—less premium than the UK but more structured than some emerging markets.

Player numbers and a global laboratory

The report estimates 19.4 million active players worldwide—far more conservative than FIP figures of 35 million. Methodology distinguishes one-off players, casual users, licence holders and regulars; the analysis follows a bottom-up logic closer to real use.

France thus combines fast growth, real demand, gradual professionalisation, regional spread and relatively healthy economic balance. For investors, private chains and international operators, the market works like a global laboratory: growing quickly without immediately sliding into the excess of other boom markets.

The study is therefore more than a snapshot: it offers a framework for future site choices, franchise models and marketing spend. That is why the French market moves to centre stage in 2026 as a reference for sustainable growth in global padel.