La International Federation of Padel published the new FIP Promises circuit regulations, dedicated to young talent, which will come into effect from the 2026 seasonThese adjustments aim to harmonize practices internationally, better guide player progression, and clarify certain key aspects of how the circuit operates.

Without disrupting the spirit of FIP Promises, these developments reflect a desire for a finer structuring of global junior padel.

Generalization of Star Point on the FIP Promises circuit

As of 2026, all matches disputed on the FIP Promises World Tour and FIP Promises Continental Tour will be played with the Star Point system.
This format, already tested on other circuits, aims to shorten certain sequences of play while maintaining a clear competitive framework for the younger categories.

Possibility of playing two tournaments on the same site

A player will be able to, during the same week, participate at the same time:

  • at a tournament FIP Promises,
  • and to a test of Premier Padel or FIP Tour,

provided that both competitions take place in the same club or on the same site.
This measure aims to facilitate the gradual transition between youth and senior circuits, without increasing the number of trips.

A strengthened continental opening

In the tournaments of FIP Promises Tour, each category will now reserve one place per pair from each of the three other continents, different from the one who organizes the competition.
These places will be allocated to top ranked pairs from each continent involved, thus strengthening the international dimension of the circuit from the youth categories onwards. In practice, this measure will not change much since the organizers are obviously still looking for players from other continents to expand the tournament and make it more international.

Limits on the number of matches per day

In exceptional circumstances (weather, program interruptions, extreme heat), a pair may not be forced to compete. more than two matches per category on the same dayunless explicitly agreed upon by the players.

In a situation of extreme heata mandatory break from five minutes A break will be introduced between the first and second sets. The usual regulation break will then apply before a possible super tie-break.

Creation of FIP Promises Continental Finals

At the end of the season, FIP Promises Continental Tour Finals events can be organized on each continent.
The 16 best players in each category will qualify directly for these finals, provided they have participated in at least five continental tournaments over the year.

Players will be able to participate in an unlimited number of tournaments outside their licensed continent, but:

  • only two external results The maximum will be taken into account.
  • the final ranking will be based on the nine best resultsincluding zero-point tournaments, except in cases of protected ranking.

Bonus points when changing categories

The FIP introduces a system of partial bonus points to support players as they move up to a higher category:

  • de U12 to U14 : 10% of points earned in U12
  • de U14 to U16 : 10% of points earned in U14
  • de U16 to U18 : 10% of points earned in U16
  • de U18 in the FIP Tour rankings: 5% of points earned in U18

These points will remain valid. 365 days from the date of their allocation.

Coach presence: a framework differentiated according to age

From 2026:

  • One coach per pair will be allowed on the bench en U16 and U18,
  • This presence will remain banned in U12 and U14.

In these categories, coaches will have to remain in the stands or on the periphery of the court and will not be able to give any instructions during matches. A measure that is not universally popular. But we will come back to this soon.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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