Doha, Qatar – The International Padel Federation (FIP) has announced the launch of an exciting new competition, the Intercontinental Cup, set to debut in 2025. This biennial event will pit top and emerging players from the Americas against their counterparts from Europe, in a format reminiscent of tennis’s Laver Cup and golf’s Ryder Cup.
The inaugural Intercontinental Cup will showcase the best global talent in padel, providing new opportunities for players from emerging padel nations to compete at the elite level. The competition will feature both men’s and women’s teams, with a record-breaking prize purse of €700,000, equally distributed between the winning teams.
The event is a significant step towards padel’s potential inclusion in the Olympics, aligning with the International Olympic Committee’s values of promoting globally diverse and modern sports. The competition will be organized with the support of FIP’s continental federations, Padel Europe and Padel America, and will rotate between venues across the Americas and Europe.
FIP President Luigi Carraro expressed his enthusiasm for the new competition, stating, “The new inter-continental cup competition responds to the incredible worldwide popularity of padel and an unprecedented demand for new competition formats from both established and emerging padel fanbases, players, and partners. We cannot wait to realize this competition next year, and already know of enormous demand to host and partner in padel’s equivalent of the Laver and Ryder Cup, which will continue the globalization of padel as we aspire to form part of the Olympic Movement as soon as possible.”
The announcement follows the record-breaking success of the 2024 FIP World Championship, which has further demonstrated padel’s rapid rise as a major international sport. The Intercontinental Cup is expected to drive the sport’s development, especially in new regions of the world, and contribute to its global growth.
Tenders for locations, branding, promoters, and partnerships for the tournament will be starting shortly, with the aim of bringing padel to both established and emerging fan bases in incredible locations across the globe.
The launch of the Intercontinental Cup marks a significant milestone for padel, highlighting its readiness for greater international recognition and its potential future inclusion in the Olympic Games.
