The United States padel market, including clubs, tournaments, equipment, and technology, is forecasted to reach hundreds of millions of dollars annually within the next five years, according to Misitrano Consulting’s recently published State of Padel in the US Report 2025.

Padel, which originated in Mexico in 1969, blends squash and tennis. Whether indoors or outdoors, it is always played on turf. Glass walls at the back and sides of the court are in play, setting up the possibility of ricochet shots. Padel rackets are usually made of foam and carbon fiber with holes instead of strings. They are shorter than tennis rackets, while padel balls are smaller and have less air pressure than tennis balls.

The sport experienced significant growth in the 1990s and 2000s in Argentina, where it is now more popular than tennis. In Spain, it is the second most popular sport, trailing only soccer. Altogether, padel is played in more than 130 countries today, with an estimated 30 million global players and more than 63,000 courts in operation.

While the American padel market lags its South American and European counterparts, there are several indications that it is, in the words of the Misitrano report, “on the verge of a significant shift.”

To start, more courts have been built in the last two years than in the previous ten years combined. The annual growth rate of padel clubs exceeds 50%, with 688 courts in operation across 31 states and more than 112,000 players nationwide. Assuming strategic infrastructure, marketing, and investment decisions are made today, Misitrano projects that the US will be home to 6,800 padel courts, 900,840 padel players, and 1,774 padel facilities (up from 180 in 2025) by 2030. Furthermore, collaboration between national federations, professional leagues, club circuits, and technology platforms will situate the US as a host and builder of global padel competition models.

Equipment sales growth is one of the strongest indicators of the American padel market’s potential. The US market for padel gear reached an estimated $10 million in 2024, with leading brands expecting year-over-year growth of at least 70% in 2025. This is largely because players are buying dedicated padel rackets, shoes, and even bags. The presence of major international padel brands at RacquetX, the racquet sports trade show held in Miami, also reflects the sharp rise in the number of players and increased interest from specialty retailers and online platforms.

Celebrity investment and participation (Serena Williams and Adam Levine have taken up the sport), franchise rollouts (although there is no clear leader), urban padel clubs shaping themselves as lifestyle brands, and influencer marketing on social media are all supporting expansion and are expected to fuel US market growth over the next several years. The rise of court booking platforms, such as PlayByPoint and Playtomic, is also making it easier to play. That tennis and pickleball players are embracing padel only raises the likelihood of robust market growth.

The rising number of indoor court openings, particularly in the Northeast, provides an additional asset for the padel market. These courts, which can easily repurpose empty warehouses and take advantage of industrial zoning flexibility, reduce seasonality and can capitalize on premium membership pricing and private events.

Of course, there are risks to investing in the padel market. Overbuilding in cities without matching demand could lead to underutilized courts, as seen in Sweden. Fortunately, disciplined site selection and market pacing can mitigate this risk. A lack of broad consumer awareness is another challenge for padel, which is often confused with pickleball or platform tennis/squash and suffers from limited media coverage. The sport must also expand public access, which is essential to growth at the grassroots level.

Nonetheless, Taiwanese firms may want to capitalize on what appears to be an extremely promising market. There are multiple avenues of entry, from supplying materials or finished equipment to becoming a padel club franchise owner.

Padel may soon become the new pickleball. In fact, the Misitrano report cites pickleball’s success, as well as the vibrant American sports culture, as an indication that padel will gain popularity. If this is the case, Taiwanese firms should not hesitate to dive into the US padel market. As the Misitrano report concludes, padel’s “growth curve, lifestyle fit and revenue potential position it as one of the most compelling investment opportunities in the US sports landscape.”