World Padel Tour doesn't exist any more. In August 2023, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) agreed to buy it from Damm, whose events company ran it. WPT finished its 2023 season, played its last event in Barcelona that December, and from 2024 the pros have played on one tour: Premier Padel, governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP).
That's the short answer. If you drifted away from the pro game around then, or you're newer to padel and keep seeing "WPT" in older match videos, here's how it happened, in order, with the sources.
Padelism is not affiliated with Premier Padel or the FIP. This is a fan's guide, written by a padel player who makes clothes.
The timeline at a glance
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | World Padel Tour is founded | FIP |
| February 2022 | QSI and the FIP set up Premier Padel as a rival tour | SportCal |
| January 2023 | The two tours agree to start talks, with the FIP and the players' union | SportCal |
| March 2023 | Over 110 leading women players join Premier Padel | FIP |
| May 2023 | A merger is first raised | SportCal |
| 24 August 2023 | QSI and Damm agree the sale. One tour, called Premier Padel, from 2024 | FIP |
| 14 to 17 December 2023 | WPT's last event, the Master Final in Barcelona | Wikipedia |
| 23 February 2024 | Premier Padel and Red Bull announce a media deal to the end of 2027 | Premier Padel |
| 24 February 2024 | Riyadh P1 draw: first event of a season with one circuit and one ranking | FIP |
| August 2026 | Premier Padel's first UK event, the London P1 at Olympia | Olympia |
Why there were two tours at once
For most of its life, WPT was the tour. When the sale was announced, the FIP's own release called it "the pre-eminent tour" in the sport, with over 26 men's and women's tournaments across 14 countries, TV rights in more than 150 countries and nearly 4 million social media followers.
Then in February 2022, QSI and the FIP launched Premier Padel. SportCal reports that the two organisations were in conflict from that point on, including a legal dispute.
For fans, 2023 was the confusing year. SportCal reported 27 WPT tournaments scheduled across 13 countries that season, against 8 Premier Padel events. Two calendars. Two rankings. Players picking their way between both. The FIP's release mentions disputes affecting "the professional padel players who have competed in both tours", which tells you how tangled it got.
The women's side shifted first. According to the same release, over 110 leading women players joined Premier Padel in March 2023, months before any deal.
The deal: 24 August 2023
The announcement came from Barcelona and Doha on 24 August 2023. Here's what it actually said:
- Who sold, who bought. Damm owned Setpoint Events, the company that organised WPT. QSI agreed to acquire WPT's business assets.
- One tour, one name. WPT and Premier Padel would be unified as a single global tour called Premier Padel, governed by the FIP. The WPT name went. The Premier Padel name stayed.
- Disputes settled. The agreement included resolving outstanding disputes between the parties.
- 2023 played out. Both tours would finish their 2023 schedules as planned, with the single tour starting in 2024.
- Not quite done yet. Closing was subject to "customary regulatory approvals".
Flashscore reported that the financial terms were not disclosed. So if you've seen a price quoted somewhere, it didn't come from the announcement.
The last WPT event: Barcelona, December 2023
WPT went out at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona with its Master Final, played from 14 to 17 December 2023 according to Wikipedia's season summary. Padel Alto put it plainly: it was the last WPT competition in history.
- Men's final: Paquito Navarro and Fede Chingotto beat Alejandro Galán and Juan Lebrón 6-1, 6-4.
- Women's final: Delfi Brea and Bea González beat Aranzazu Osoro and Jessica Castelló 6-4, 6-1.
That was WPT's eleventh season, counting from 2013. Barcelona still hosts the season-ending event in December, now as the Premier Padel Finals. The 2026 Barcelona Finals guide covers this year's edition.
2024: one tour, one calendar, one ranking
The first Premier Padel season as the only tour opened in Saudi Arabia with the Riyadh Season P1. The FIP's draw release, dated 24 February 2024, described it as the first event of a season with "one professional circuit", "one calendar and one ranking".
A few things fans noticed straight away.
The pairs reshuffled. The last WPT champions started 2024 apart. The FIP's preview had Navarro back with Sanyo Gutiérrez as the number 4 seeds, and Chingotto in a new pair. It also noted that Fernando Belasteguín was starting what it called his last season as a professional.
The rankings reset. The FIP's day-two report from Riyadh refers to "the unified FIP ranking from this year". Wikipedia's season summary says the FIP chose to disregard 2023 WPT tournaments for ranking purposes. One knock-on it lists: Galán and Lebrón, the number 3 pair at the end of 2023, started 2024 as number 1.
The calendar got bigger. Wikipedia's 2024 summary lists 24 tournaments in 16 countries: 4 Majors, 10 P1s, 9 P2s and the Finals. The season ran from 24 February to 22 December.
What changed for fans
One place to look. No more checking two calendars and two sets of results. The tour you follow and the ranking you read are the same thing.
Free streams, split by round. The day before the Riyadh P1 draw, Premier Padel announced a deal with Red Bull running to the end of the 2027 season. Under that deal, quarter-finals through to the final go live on Red Bull TV, with rounds 1 to 3 on Premier Padel's YouTube channel, both free in selected territories. For the UK specifics, including the separate TV deal for London, read how to watch Premier Padel in the UK.
A UK stop. In August 2026, Premier Padel came to the UK for the first time with the London P1 at Olympia, which Olympia billed as the UK's first elite professional padel tournament. What's known about a return is in the London Premier Padel 2027 guide.
The old name hangs around. You'll still see "WPT" in older match videos and articles. That footage is from before 2024. It doesn't mean there are two tours again.
If you want the longer story, from the first court in Mexico to the tours before WPT, the history of padel goes right back to 1969.
Where Padelism comes in
I play padel, and I've played in Malaga and Madrid. Nothing I make is for the pro tour, though. It's the stuff you wear around the game.
If you're the one shouting at the screen over a ball near the line, the Focus tee has a WAS IT IN WAS IT OUT eye chart on it. It's one of our heavyweight tees: 100% cotton, 305 g/m2, oversized unisex fit. Size down if you want it regular. They're £48, or any 2 for £90 automatically at checkout, and UK delivery is free on orders of £75 and over.
For what's coming up next, from pro stops to UK events you can enter, see the UK padel events calendar.
FAQ
Does World Padel Tour still exist? No. Its last event was the Master Final in Barcelona in December 2023. Since 2024, the pros have played on a single tour, Premier Padel, governed by the FIP.
Who bought World Padel Tour? Qatar Sports Investments, which also backs Premier Padel. It agreed to buy WPT's business assets from Damm, owner of the organiser Setpoint Events, on 24 August 2023. The price wasn't disclosed.
Is Premier Padel just World Padel Tour renamed? Not exactly. Premier Padel started in 2022 as a separate tour. The deal folded WPT into it, and the combined tour kept the Premier Padel name. According to Wikipedia's season summary, 2023 WPT results weren't counted for the 2024 ranking.
Who won the last World Padel Tour titles? Paquito Navarro and Fede Chingotto won the men's Master Final. Delfi Brea and Bea González won the women's. Both finals were at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona in December 2023.
