Padel tournament formats

By Yves Richel · Last updated on October 4, 2026

Which format fits your evening?

Americano and Mexicano reshuffle the pairings every round: everyone plays with everyone, nobody gets stuck. Move Up / Move Down and King of the Court sort by level, so by the end of the night everyone is on a court that matches them. Round Robin and Knockout are the formats for fixed teams. Any of them takes a few minutes to set up here; the schedule, the scoring and the table then run on their own.

The six tournament formats

Americano

The social format where everyone plays with everyone.

Mexicano

Courts seeded by leaderboard rank.

Move Up / Move Down

Winners climb, losers drop. Court position = points.

King of the Court

Same engine as Move Up / Move Down. Only the final court counts.

Round Robin

Fixed pairs. Every pair plays every other pair.

Knockout

Elimination bracket. Lose and you're out.

Which format for how many players?

Format	Idea	Players
Americano	The social format where everyone plays with everyone.	8–24
Mexicano	Courts seeded by leaderboard rank.	8–16
Move Up / Move Down	Winners climb, losers drop. Court position = points.	8–16
King of the Court	Same engine as Move Up / Move Down. Only the final court counts.	8–16
Round Robin	Fixed pairs. Every pair plays every other pair.	4–12 pairs
Knockout	Elimination bracket. Lose and you're out.	8–16

How do I pick the right format?

Four questions that usually settle the format on their own.

Mixed group, and it should stay social? Americano or Mexicano — partners change every round, everyone stays in play.
Big gaps in level? Move Up / Move Down or King of the Court — the courts sort themselves out.
Fixed pairs playing together? Round Robin for the full comparison, Knockout for a quick decision.
Short on time or on courts? Knockout is the shortest, Americano scales best across many players.

Picked a format? Setting up the tournament takes under five minutes.

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