Portugal had about 1,560 padel courts and half a million players in mid-2025, according to the FIP. For a small country, that's a lot of padel.
It has far fewer courts than Spain. But here's the interesting bit: the courts it has are no busier. This page covers the numbers, how they compare with Spain, and how Lisbon and Porto stack up.
Portugal in numbers
The FIP's World Padel Report 2025 gives these figures for Portugal, estimated in June 2025:
- 1,560 courts
- 456 clubs, an average of 3.4 courts each
- 500,000 amateur players
- 12,317 licensed federation players (3,735 women and 8,582 men)
A year earlier, the FIP's 2024 report had Portugal at 1,300 courts and 450,000 players. That's 260 new courts in about 14 months, a rise of a fifth.
The 2025 report adds two more things, based on Google Trends and the FIP's own website data. About 8% of Europe's padel fans are Portuguese, which puts Portugal third in Europe behind Spain and Italy. And the number of places to play is growing by more than 17% a year.
One more detail. The licence count is a 2023 figure, so it doesn't line up exactly with the 2025 player estimate. Even so, it suggests only about 1 in 40 players in Portugal holds a federation licence. The vast majority play casually, without one.
Players per court: Portugal vs Spain
Spain is the obvious comparison. It shares the Iberian peninsula, and the FIP says it accounts for about half of Europe's padel fans (the padel in Spain guide covers Spain in full). Both sets of figures below come from the same FIP report and the same method.
| Portugal | Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Courts | 1,560 | 17,300+ |
| Clubs | 456 | 4,570+ |
| Amateur players | 500,000 | 6,200,000+ |
| Players per court | 321 | 360 |
| People per court (whole population) | 6,569 | 2,745 |
Two rows tell the story.
Players per court is almost the same. A court in Portugal is shared by about 321 players. In Spain it's about 360. So on this measure, courts in Portugal are no more crowded than in Spain, and slightly less.
People per court is where Spain pulls away. Spain has a court for every 2,745 people. Portugal has one for every 6,569. That's roughly two and a half times as many courts per head in Spain. Portugal isn't short of courts for the players it has. It just has fewer players for its size, for now.
And for home: the same FIP report puts Great Britain at about 370 players per court (October 2025 estimate), against 321 in Portugal. The LTA's own May 2026 count, 1 million players on 1,825 courts, works out higher, at about 550. Either way, a British court is shared by more players than a Portuguese one. The UK padel statistics page explains why the UK numbers vary.
Lisbon vs Porto
Both are proper padel cities. They just work differently.
Porto: top of the ranking
In February 2024 the holiday rental site Holidu ranked Portuguese cities for padel, using Google Maps and SEMrush data. Porto came first and Lisbon second.
Greater Porto did well right down the list. Matosinhos came fifth and Maia ninth, both on Porto's doorstep. Local coverage of the ranking also noted that some Porto clubs run cheaper happy-hour slots at off-peak times.
Porto has landed a big youth event too. The FIP picked the city to host the 2026 FIP Junior Euro Padel Cup, for under-14, under-16 and under-18 national teams, at the Padel Athletic Club from 27 June to 4 July 2026. The FIP called it the first time Portugal had hosted a junior event of that profile. Announcing it, FIP president Luigi Carraro said Portugal "is making an extraordinary contribution to the growth of Padel".
Then there's the weather. Porto is the wetter city by a distance. IPMA's 1991 to 2020 averages give Porto Airport about 1,150 mm of rain a year, over around 105 days. Lisbon gets about 790 mm. A Porto padel camp operator notes the city has built several complexes with covered courts, so play carries on all year whatever the weather.
Lisbon: spread across the region
Lisbon's padel is less about the city centre and more about everything around it. Holidu's top 10 also had Sintra in sixth and Cascais in tenth, both in the Lisbon area.
The booking app TiePlayer published a Lisbon guide in August 2026 listing 34 of its partner clubs. Only seven were in Lisbon itself. Sintra had another seven. The rest were spread across Oeiras, Cascais, Loures, Odivelas, Mafra and further out to Torres Vedras, Alenquer and Lourinhã. Of the 34, 25 have at least some indoor courts. Nine are outdoor only.
Cascais has history on its side. It hosted the World Padel Championships in 2016, according to the FIP's records.
Lisbon is also the hotter city in summer. Average July highs are about 28°C, against about 24°C in Porto, on 1991 to 2020 averages.
So which is bigger?
Nobody publishes a court count per city that holds up. The Holidu ranking puts Porto ahead. The Lisbon region is larger and more spread out, with most of its clubs outside the city itself. Neither is short of options: TiePlayer alone lists 34 partner clubs around Lisbon, and Greater Porto has three places in Holidu's top 10.
Booking a court in Portugal
Keep it simple. In 2023 Playtomic bought Aircourts, the Portuguese booking app founded in 2015, and said the deal gave it 87% of the clubs in Portugal. That makes Playtomic the obvious app to check first. TiePlayer is another app with partner clubs around Lisbon.
Heading to the Algarve instead? For winter weather there, see the winter sun padel guide, and the padel holiday packing list covers what to bring.
Portugal at the top level
For its size, Portugal does well at the sharp end. The FIP's 2024 ranking had 41 Portuguese women and 85 men on it, with three women and three men in the top 100.
The men's team took bronze at the 2024 World Padel Championships in Doha. The women's team won World Championship bronze in 2014 and 2018. The next generation is coming through as well: Portugal's girls' team finished on the podium at the 2024 junior European Championship in Hungary.
Padelism is not affiliated with Premier Padel or the FIP.
After the game
I've played padel in the Algarve myself. Wherever you play, the drink after the match is part of the game.
That's what our heavyweight tees are for. They're 100% cotton at 305 g/m2, cut oversized and unisex, so size down if you want a regular fit. The Padel & Pints tee is the obvious pick for that part of the evening. It's £48, or any two £48 heavyweight tees for £90, taken off automatically at checkout. UK delivery is free on orders of £75 and over.
FAQ
How many padel courts are there in Portugal? About 1,560 courts across 456 clubs, according to the FIP's June 2025 estimates. That's up from 1,300 courts in its April 2024 figures.
How many people play padel in Portugal? The FIP estimates 500,000 amateur players. Of those, 12,317 hold a federation licence, so most players are casual.
Is padel bigger in Lisbon or Porto? There's no reliable court count per city. A 2024 Holidu ranking based on Google Maps and SEMrush data put Porto first and Lisbon second. The Lisbon region is more spread out, with most clubs outside the city.
Can you play padel in Porto when it rains? Yes. Porto gets about 1,150 mm of rain a year, and the city has built several padel complexes with covered courts so the game can carry on all year.
Are padel courts in Portugal busier than in Spain? No. The FIP puts it at about 321 players per court in Portugal and 360 in Spain. Spain has far more courts, but it also has far more players.
