You see "P1" on one poster and "P2" on another and assume it's a branding thing. It isn't. The tier decides how many pairs get in, how much prize money is on offer and how many ranking points the winners walk away with.
This guide lays out the 2026 structure in plain English. The numbers come from the FIP, padel's world governing body, unless another source is named next to them.
The 2026 season at a glance
The 2026 calendar was announced in December 2025 with 26 tournaments in 18 countries. Two things changed in May. The Qatar Major was postponed, and Premier Padel and the FIP upgraded Kuwait from P1 to Major and Pretoria from P2 to P1, for 2026 only.
So the season now looks like this, per the FIP's calendar:
| Tier | Events in 2026 | Where | Prize money per event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | 4 | Rome, Paris, Kuwait, Acapulco | €1,044,849 |
| P1 | 10 | Riyadh, Miami, Buenos Aires, Valencia, Malaga, Pretoria, London, Madrid, Milan, Dubai | €479,068 |
| P2 | 9 | Gijón, Cancún, New Giza, Brussels, Asunción, Valladolid, Bordeaux, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf | €264,534 |
| Finals | 1 | Barcelona | Not listed yet |
Prize money is as shown on the FIP's event pages. A Major pays a little more than double a P1, and a P1 a little under double a P2.
If you've seen "11 P2s" somewhere, that was Red Bull's January list. It included a P2 marked TBC and still had Pretoria as a P2.
Ranking points per round
This is the bit that matters to the players. Here are the 2026 points, from the FIP's own table (the LTA's 2026 guide gives the same figures):
| Result | Major | P1 | P2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2,000 | 1,000 | 600 |
| Runner-up | 1,200 | 600 | 360 |
| Semi-final | 720 | 360 | 180 |
| Quarter-final | 360 | 180 | 90 |
| Round of 16 | 180 | 90 | 45 |
| Round of 32 | 90 | 45 | 22 |
| First round (round of 64) | 35 | 22 | No such round |
The Finals in Barcelona sit outside this table. The LTA's guide says the winners there get 1,500.
Three things jump out:
- From the round of 32 up, a P1 pays exactly half a Major.
- Winning a P2 is worth the same 600 as losing a P1 final. A P2 final equals a P1 semi.
- P2s start one round later. Their men's draw is smaller, so there's no round of 64.
Points belong to each player, not the pair. The FIP ranking counts a player's best 22 results, and to keep points from a given week they have to match or beat that result a year on. Majors and the Finals are defended in the week of the next edition.
Draw sizes: how many pairs play
This is where the tiers really differ, and it's rarely explained. These are typical 2026 draws from the FIP's event pages:
| Tier | Men's main draw | Women's main draw | Men's qualifying | Women's qualifying |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major (Rome, Kuwait) | 48 | 40 | 24 | 16 |
| P1 (London, Miami, Valencia) | 48 | 28 | 32 | 16 |
| P2 (Rotterdam, Valladolid) | 28 | 24 | 32 | 16 |
Paris was the odd Major out, with a 16-pair men's qualifying draw.
Now the part that surprises people. A Major and a P1 have the same size men's draw. The difference is how you get in. Rome's men's draw had 41 direct entries and 4 places for qualifiers. London's P1 had 35 direct entries and 8 qualifier places. A Major takes more pairs on ranking alone and leaves fewer doors open from qualifying.
A 48-pair draw doesn't fill a bracket neatly, so the top seeds skip the first round. You can see it in London's published draw, with the number one seeds drawn against a bye.
P2s are smaller all round. The men's main draw is 28, with 4 qualifier spots, but qualifying is bigger than at a Major. At Düsseldorf and Rotterdam the men had three qualifying rounds, against two at Kuwait or London. Getting into a P2 main draw through qualifying is a long week.
Women's draws are smaller at every tier. The gap is widest at P1s, with 28 pairs against 48 for the men.
How the tiers relate to the FIP
Premier Padel runs the tour. The FIP governs the sport. In practice the two are joined up:
- The FIP sets the rules. Its General Assembly, representing 100 national federations, approved the rules update behind 2026's new scoring option.
- The leadership overlaps. Luigi Carraro is both FIP President and Premier Padel's Vice Chairman, and calendar and ranking changes are announced jointly.
- There is one ranking. The FIP Ranking counts results from Premier Padel and from the CUPRA FIP Tour, the circuit below it, which has its own tiers: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Premier Padel and CUPRA FIP Tour events share one points system, graded by the category of the event.
- A separate Race decides Barcelona. The FIP Race counts each player's best 22 results of the calendar year. The top 16 men and top 16 women qualify for the Finals. Our Barcelona Finals guide covers that week.
Some big events, like the FIP World Cup and the Hexagon Cup, sit outside the Major, P1 and P2 ladder altogether.
What changes in 2027
On 10 June 2026 Premier Padel and the FIP published new points for 2027. Winners' points stay put, and so do runner-up points at Majors and P1s. Almost everything else goes up:
| Result | Major | P1 | P2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1,200 | 600 | 380 |
| Semi-final | 720 | 380 | 200 |
| Quarter-final | 380 | 200 | 110 |
| Round of 16 | 200 | 110 | 55 |
| Round of 32 | 100 | 55 | 35 |
| First round (round of 64) | 50 | 35 | No such round |
Look across the 380 row. In 2027, reaching a P2 final, a P1 semi or a Major quarter will all pay the same.
Two more changes come with it. Rankings will count 21 results instead of 22. And men's qualifying draws will be matched to the women's. On 2026 numbers, where every women's qualifying draw was 16, that points to smaller men's qualifying draws. Players at the top will also be barred from lower FIP events: those ranked 1 to 4 can't enter Gold draws, and the cut-off rises for Silver and Bronze.
For dates, our Premier Padel calendar 2027 tracker is updated as stops are confirmed.
How coverage splits by round
The tier also tells you how much of a week you can watch, and where. Red Bull's calendar page says it streams the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. Earlier rounds go out on Premier Padel's YouTube channel.
For a Major or P1 men's draw, that means the first round, round of 32 and round of 16 are on YouTube. At a P2 it's the first round and round of 16. Our guide to watching Premier Padel in the UK explains the apps and times.
Next up is Kuwait, a Major for this year only, from 26 to 31 October on the FIP calendar. Then Dubai, a P1, which our Dubai P1 guide covers in UK times.
Dressed for the sofa
Most of us follow the tour from home, and from now until Barcelona that means cold evenings. A heavy layer helps. Our Coffee Padelism Repeat Sweatshirt is a 350 g/m² cotton blend at £60, and the rest are in sweatshirts. If you'd rather a hood, our hoodies are £75, which on its own gets free UK delivery.
One date to note: the FIP calendar has the Finals starting on 10 December, which is also our last UK order date for Christmas. For live padel closer to home, see our UK padel events calendar.
FAQ
What's the difference between a P1 and a P2 in padel? A P1 is the second tier of Premier Padel and a P2 the third. In 2026 a P1 winner gets 1,000 ranking points and a P2 winner 600. Prize money is €479,068 against €264,534, and a P1 men's main draw has 48 pairs against 28 at a P2.
Why do the top seeds get a bye at Majors and P1s? The men's main draw at both has 48 pairs, which doesn't fill a bracket evenly. The top seeds skip the first round, as the published draws show, and start in the round of 32.
Is Premier Padel part of the FIP? They are separate bodies that work together. The FIP is the world governing body and sets the rules. Premier Padel runs the tour, and its results count towards the FIP Ranking alongside the CUPRA FIP Tour.
How many tournaments count towards a player's ranking? In 2026, a player's best 22 results count. From 2027 that drops to 21, as announced by Premier Padel and the FIP on 10 June 2026.
Padelism is not affiliated with Premier Padel or the FIP. Figures are from the FIP's published pages as of 19 October 2026 and can change.
