The United States Padel Association has announced its intention to send a national collegiate team to compete at the FISU World University Championships of Padel, marking an important milestone in the continued growth of collegiate padel in the United States.
The championships will take place July 7–11, 2026, in Málaga, one of the world’s most established padel hubs. Organized under the umbrella of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the event is expected to bring together university student-athletes from more than 30 countries, highlighting padel’s expanding global footprint in university sports.
The United States is eligible to send a delegation of up to four men and four women to compete in men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Each competition will feature both main draws and consolation draws, ensuring significant match play and international exposure for participating athletes.
The 2026 championships will be hosted in collaboration with the University of Málaga, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a center for high-performance padel and international competition. Beyond the on-court action, the event emphasizes cultural exchange, national representation, and the values of university sport that define FISU competitions worldwide.
For the USPA, participation in Málaga represents another step toward establishing clear pathways from collegiate padel in the United States to international competition. With collegiate padel continuing to expand on campuses nationwide, the championship offers American student-athletes the opportunity to test themselves against the world’s best while representing the United States on a major global stage.
Interested collegiate players to learn more at the links below and apply for the USA Collegiate Team.
Interested players can learn more about the tournament by clicking this link.
Students interested in representing the USA should click this link to apply.
Eligibility Criteria
- Team members have to be USA citizens
- Students do not need to be from the same university.
- Incoming freshmen, transfer students, and those who graduated recently (in calendar year 2025 or 2026) are eligible.
- Athletes must be born between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2008;
- Students do not have to be students at a university in the USA.
- Except for those who have recently graduated, an athlete must be enrolled in at least a 3-credit college course (even if in the upcoming term, Fall of 2026), but they don’t have to be taking a full course load.