France now has around 850,000 padel players, representing a 130 per cent jump from 2022, according to the 2025 edition of the Observatoire du Padel, positioning the country as one of Europe’s fastest-growing markets for the sport.
The latest edition of the Observatoire du Padel (Padel Observatory) report was presented on Nov. 19 at the Parc des Expositions in Paris by Virgile Caillet, director general of the Union Sport & Cycle (USC), and Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro, head of the padel department within the French Tennis Federation (FFT). The data come from a survey of over 5,500 players and 200 clubs, providing a national benchmark for tracking the sport’s evolution and trends in France.
French players: young, social, and multi-sport
Among French padel players, 54 percent are aged between 25 and 44. Only 16 percent of the players are women, although this share rises to 22 percent among new players. Padel is usually played with friends (85 percent). Furthermore, while 50 percent make padel their main sport, the majority (85 percent) actually practice other sports as well. Most padel players (80 percent) are happy with the existing infrastructures. In terms of frequency, nearly half (46 percent) play at least once a week.
Social and spending habits drive padel adoption
Similarly to other sports, padel is also a way for people to socialize. According to the survey, 77 percent meet to have a drink or eat on site after a game. Padel’s growth is also evident in consumer habits, with 87 percent of players owning a racket, whose average price is €134. More than half (66 percent) of players use specific padel/tennis shoes, which average €86 per pair. According to Caillet, the latest data show that padel has established itself in France as a lasting trend.
Go deeper
Download the short version of the report (in French) from Unionsportcycle.com
