A new team era for padel: Hexagon World Series launches to stitch the calendar together

What happened and why it matters right away

The International Padel Federation, working with Hexagon Cup and 54, has unveiled the Hexagon World Series — the sport’s first official mixed‑gender team circuit. The move creates a season‑long set of team events that sit alongside the existing Cupra FIP Tour and Premier Padel calendar. Organizers say the series will stage events around the world, offer equal prize money for men and women and give fans simple, city‑friendly fixtures to follow.

For players and fans this is more than a new trophy. Team competition changes how people watch padel: it can bring clearer storylines, national and city loyalties, and formats that work well on TV and in stadiums. For the sport’s commercial side, a tidy, official team circuit could make sponsorship and broadcast deals easier to sell.

How the Hexagon World Series will look and where it will play

The series is built as a run of team events rather than individual tournaments. Each stop will feature mixed‑gender squads so men and women compete under the same team banner. Events are meant to be compact, with a fan‑friendly schedule that fits into long weekends and city festival calendars, rather than sprawling two‑week competitions.

Organizers are positioning the circuit as global. Early planning points to events in traditional padel strongholds and growth markets alike, from Southern Europe and Latin America to new venues in the Middle East and Asia. The series aims to avoid overlap with the Cupra FIP Tour and Premier Padel so top players can compete in all three circuits without forcing hard choices.

The format favors spectacle: fewer simultaneous courts, clear team standings and a season finale that crowns an overall champion. That structure makes it easier for casual viewers to follow a table and for broadcasters to create appointment viewing.

Prize money, sponsors and the money story behind the World Series

A headline feature is equal prize money for men and women across the series. That equity pledge is increasingly standard in major sports, and it helps the Hexagon World Series present a modern, sponsor‑friendly face. Equal payouts also reduce a common friction point between players and promoters.

Commercially, the series leans on three revenue pillars: sponsorship, ticketing and media rights. Bringing teams into a season format can make sponsorships more valuable because brands can build stories across events rather than buying single tournaments. Compact city events are also easier to sell to local governments and venue partners wanting short, high‑impact visits.

Broadcast potential is central. Team formats tend to attract higher casual‑viewer interest, and planners are pitching the series as TV and streaming‑friendly. Still, turning that interest into meaningful rights fees depends on early viewing numbers and the quality of international broadcast packaging — both variables in the months after launch.

Who runs it, and how it fits with the official calendar

The Hexagon World Series will operate under the International Padel Federation’s umbrella, giving it official status inside the sport’s governance. That recognition matters: it helps the circuit coordinate dates, secure player commitments and avoid disputes over ranking points and eligibility.

Organizers say the series will complement the Cupra FIP Tour — the federation’s main individual circuit — and the privately run Premier Padel tour. The idea is cooperation rather than competition: each circuit serves different needs (individual ranking events, club‑level growth, and now team spectacle). The real test will be calendar diplomacy — can the three bodies keep schedules aligned so top players can show up for all of them?

Why the timing makes sense for padel’s global push

Padel has been one of the fastest‑growing racket sports in recent years. It’s already a mainstream pastime in Spain and parts of Latin America, and it’s gaining ground in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. That growth has attracted more investors, sponsors and broadcasters, but it has also created a crowded calendar and fragmented rights deals.

Team events are a natural next step. They simplify narratives — fans can back a city or club rather than individual names — and they create occasions that work well in big public spaces, shopping centres and purpose‑built arenas. If the Hexagon World Series can deliver consistent quality events, it could accelerate padel’s push into new markets and make the sport easier to package commercially.

What to watch next — reactions, rollout milestones and key risks

The immediate milestones are clear: a confirmed calendar, a set of host cities, broadcast partners and a final agreement on player participation. Early reaction from players and national federations will be telling: strong buy‑in will smooth the first season, while hesitation could limit the field and reduce the series’ appeal to broadcasters.

Risks are practical. Execution matters — new events are costly to stage, and poor production or weak crowds would undercut commercial plans. Calendar conflicts, even small ones, can sour relationships between organizers and players. And while equal prize money is a strong statement, it will only pay off if sponsors and broadcasters supply the revenues to sustain those payouts over time.

For fans, the promise is simple: a clearer, more social way to watch padel. For the sport, the prize is bigger — a team competition that helps unify a crowded calendar and gives global sponsors a cleaner product to back. Whether the Hexagon World Series achieves that balance will depend on how well organizers turn an idea into tidy, repeatable events that both players and audiences want to return to.

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