Under the slogan "Where padel meets business", Padel World Summit (PWS) returns to Barcelona with 56% international exhibitors. Organized by Fira de Barcelona and the International Padel Cluster, it consolidates itself as the major platform for this sport's industry on an international level. With 140 exhibiting companies from France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, and China as the countries with the most commercial representation, PWS becomes the most representative event of the padel ecosystem.
The sport that Mexican Enrique Corcuera invented in 1969 at his house in Acapulco, surrounding a small court with walls to seek a more social and accessible alternative to tennis, has consolidated over the years as one of the fastest-growing disciplines worldwide, with sustained expansion across five continents and an increasingly relevant economic impact.
The Padel World Summit (PWS) gives visibility to a sport that, thanks to its social and inclusive nature, already surpasses 35 million practitioners worldwide and boasts a global network of over 24,600 clubs and 77,300 courts, according to the World Padel Report 2025 by the International Padel Federation. PWS will once again turn Barcelona into the world capital of padel business, a city that is already an international benchmark for this sport with the celebration of the Premier Padel Finals at the end of this year.
Sport, innovation, and business
Sport, innovation, and business will meet in Barcelona in a single space in pavilion 6 of the Gran Via exhibition center, from May 26 to 28, with a wide showcase of all the segments that make up the value chain of the padel industry, from sports equipment to court construction, including flooring, complementary infrastructure, and technological innovations applied to management and game experience.
In specialized retail, Padel Nuestro will show how the professionalization of the channel continues to accelerate European growth, while Skechers will reinforce the connection between performance and sport lifestyle. In technology, Playtomic will represent the key role of software in club reservations, loyalty, and monetization. The ecosystem will also include specialized solutions such as Padelgest in padel court construction and Realturf in artificial turf manufacturing.
Other leading brands such as Adidas, Joma, HEAD, Babolat, Bonabola, Endless, TenCate Grass, Mondo, LED Projects, or Okatent will also be present at this year's edition.
The event will also host stands from institutions, federations, and associations in the sector, along with new solutions and products aimed at improving the operations, efficiency, and experience of clubs.
The director of Padel World Summit, Alex Ponseti, points out that “international growth consolidates our event as a must-attend for all members of the padel industry and demonstrates the maturity of this sport as a global industry”. He also adds that “the event not only reflects the excellent moment the sector is experiencing, but also acts as a true meeting point to connect brands, investors, federations, and professionals for its international expansion”.
Belasteguín, Belluati and Carolina Navarro
The best padel players at the PWS
The PWS will feature the participation of Argentinian Fernando Belasteguín (Bela), considered the best padel player in history; the also Argentinian Juan Cruz Belluati, number 66 in the rankings, and Spaniard Carolina Navarro, number 1 in the World Padel Tour for nine years. The fair will set up ten courts (PadelGest, Euronix, Padel Alba, AFP Courts, Padel Galis, GreenSet, Pòrtic Sport, Padel Tech, Cent pour Cent Padel and Padel Lab) where matches, product presentations and brand activations will take place.At the same time, Padel World Summit will chart the roadmap for padel as an industry with the Global Padel Conference, the event's congress program, which will feature ninety speakers. Among them are financier Bill Ullman, current president of the United States Padel Association (USPA); the CEO of the British company Soul Padel, Mark Hewlett; the former world number one, Argentinian Inés Álvarez; or the American consultant Patricio Misitrano, creator of Racket Social Club.
The fair will also feature the Innovation Arena, a space focused on driving innovation and open collaboration, which will provide visibility to start-ups from around the world, connecting them with potential investors, and the Business Lounge, a professional networking area.
In 2026, PWS expects to surpass the 6,000 professional visitors from the previous edition among club members, retailers, distributors, investors, federations, professional players and coaches, official bodies, or tour operators.
An unstoppable sector
According to the Global Padel Report 2025, prepared by Playtomic in collaboration with the consultancy PwC, it is estimated that the sector reaches a value close to 2,000 million euros worldwide, with a forecast of reaching 6,000 million by 2026, driven by international expansion and investment in new clubs and infrastructures.
Spain, with a volume close to 900 million euros, is the undisputed leader thanks to its strength as a market, as it has more than 4,500 clubs and 17,000 courts in which more than 111,000 federated players play. After Spain, Italy, Argentina and the United States are positioned as key markets, while experts predict that regions such as the Middle East and Latin America, especially Mexico and Brazil, will experience significant growth in the coming years.
