Tournament Regulations

Padel Tournament Formats — Official Regulations. Americano · Mexicano · Round Robin.

Preamble

The present Regulations govern the organisation and conduct of padel tournaments played under the Americano, Mexicano, and Round Robin formats on the pade.live platform. They establish the rules applicable to the composition of teams, the structure of the competition, the scoring system, the determination of the final classification, and the conduct of the playoff phase, where applicable.

These Regulations apply to all participants — players, partners, and organisers — and shall be deemed accepted by registration in any tournament organised under one of the formats described herein.

In all matters not expressly governed by these Regulations, the Official Rules of Padel as published by the Federación Internacional de Pádel (FIP) shall apply.

Title I — General Provisions

Article 1 — Scope

1.1. These Regulations apply to all tournaments organised in the Americano, Mexicano, or Round Robin format.

1.2. Each tournament shall be played as a doubles competition (two players per side) on regulation padel courts.

1.3. Every match shall be governed by the FIP Rules of Padel concerning the playing surface, equipment, service, faults, interference, and let, save as expressly modified in these Regulations.

Article 2 — Definitions

For the purposes of these Regulations, the following terms shall have the meanings assigned below:

• Player — an individual registered to participate in the tournament.
• Team — a pair of two Players competing together as one side in a match.
• Round — a set of matches played in parallel across all available courts before any subsequent matches are scheduled.
• Match — a single doubles encounter between two teams.
• Court Assignment — the allocation of teams to specific courts within a Round.
• Bye — the designation of a Player or Team as resting during a Round in which they do not play.
• Organiser — the person or entity responsible for the convocation, conduct, and administration of the tournament.
• Points-per-Match Total — the aggregate number of points that the two competing teams shall jointly contest in a single match, in point-cap mode.

Article 3 — Authority of the Organiser

3.1. The Organiser shall fix, prior to the commencement of the tournament: (a) the format; (b) the number of courts available; (c) the scoring mode and the Points-per-Match Total or set format; (d) the number of rounds (where applicable); (e) whether a playoff phase shall be played (Round Robin only).

3.2. Once the tournament has commenced, the parameters fixed under Article 3.1 shall not be altered, except that: (a) the number of rounds in an Americano or Mexicano tournament may be adjusted while the tournament is in progress; (b) the scoring format of a single designated round (e.g. a Final) may be modified by express decision of the Organiser.

3.3. All decisions of the Organiser regarding the application of these Regulations shall be final.

Title II — Registration and Team Composition

Article 4 — Registration

4.1. Players shall register for the tournament through the platform prior to its commencement. Registered Players may include registered users of the platform and guest Players entered by the Organiser.

4.2. The Organiser may, at the time of registration, assign pre-determined partnerships between Players. Such pre-assigned partnerships shall be honoured at the moment of team formation.

4.3. By completing registration for any tournament, every Player accepts in full the Participant Agreement and Release of Liability set out in Annex I to these Regulations. Registration is not possible without such acceptance. Where the Player is a minor, acceptance shall be given by a parent or legal guardian on the Player's behalf.

Article 5 — Partnership Mode

5.1. Two partnership modes are recognised:

• Rotating partnerships — every Player is paired with a new partner at the beginning of each Round. The Player is classified individually.
• Fixed partnerships — two Players are paired at the commencement of the tournament and remain partners for its entire duration. The pair is classified as a Team.

5.2. The default partnership mode for each format shall be: (a) Americano — rotating; (b) Mexicano — rotating; (c) Round Robin — fixed.

5.3. The Organiser may, by express decision communicated to the Players prior to the commencement of the tournament, depart from the default partnership mode of the format.

5.4. Where fixed partnerships apply and have not been pre-assigned, the remaining Players shall be paired by a random draw at the commencement of the tournament.

5.5. Where the number of Players cannot be evenly distributed across the available Courts in a given Round, the surplus Players shall be assigned a Bye for that Round.

Title III — Tournament Formats

Chapter I — Americano

Article 6 — Composition and Format

6.1. The Americano tournament shall be played, as a rule, with rotating partnerships. It may, exceptionally, be played with fixed partnerships.

6.2. The Americano format is characterised by the equitable distribution of partnerships and oppositions: over the course of the tournament, each Player shall, so far as the configuration permits, partner and oppose as many different Players as possible. The placement of Players on Courts is not determined by their current performance in the tournament.

6.3. The minimum number of Players is four (4).

Article 7 — Round Composition and Pairing

7.1. At the beginning of each Round, partnerships and oppositions shall be drawn in accordance with the following principles, applied in order of priority: (a) no Player shall partner the same Player more than once where mathematically possible; (b) no Player shall oppose the same Player more than once where mathematically possible; (c) the distribution of Byes shall be balanced across all Players.

7.2. Where the number of Players exceeds the product of Courts and four (Courts × 4), the surplus Players shall be assigned a Bye for that Round.

7.3. Court assignment shall proceed in numerical order. The first match of the Round shall be assigned to Court 1, the second to Court 2, and so on.

7.4. The principle of non-repetition shall yield, exceptionally, to a configuration permitting repetitions where, by mathematical exhaustion of the available combinations, no valid alternative Round can be composed.

Article 8 — Number of Rounds

The number of Rounds shall be fixed by the Organiser and may be adjusted while the tournament is in progress. No playoff phase shall be held in the Americano format.

Chapter II — Mexicano

Article 9 — Composition and Format

9.1. The Mexicano tournament shall be played, as a rule, with rotating partnerships. It may, exceptionally, be played with fixed partnerships.

9.2. The Mexicano format is characterised by the dynamic placement of Players on Courts according to their performance: Courts are ranked in descending order (Court 1 being the highest), and from the third (3rd) Round onward, Players are assigned to Courts according to their classification in the tournament to date.

9.3. The minimum number of Players is the product of Courts and four (Courts × 4).

Article 10 — Round Composition and Pairing

10.1. The first two (2) Rounds shall constitute the Opening Phase. Partnerships and oppositions shall be drawn at random, subject to the constraint that no Player shall partner the same Player more than once where mathematically possible.

10.2. From the third (3rd) Round onward, the Performance Phase shall apply. Players shall be sorted in descending order according to their classification in the tournament to date, and grouped into brackets of four (4) Players per Court — the four highest-ranked Players being assigned to Court 1, the next four to Court 2, and so on.

10.3. Within each bracket of four, the pairing of the two opposing partnerships shall be determined so as to avoid repeating any partnership already played. Where no such pairing is available within a bracket, the boundary Players shall be exchanged with the adjacent bracket.

10.4. Where the number of Players exceeds the product of Courts and four, the surplus Players shall be assigned a Bye for that Round. Players shall be selected to rest in the following order of priority: (a) the Player with the fewest matches played to date; (b) the Player with the lowest classification; (c) random draw.

10.5. The principle of non-repetition shall yield, exceptionally, to a configuration permitting partnership repetition where mathematical exhaustion of available combinations prevents the composition of a valid alternative Round.

Article 11 — Duration

The number of Rounds shall be fixed by the Organiser and may be adjusted while the tournament is in progress. No playoff phase shall be held in the Mexicano format.

Chapter III — Round Robin

Article 12 — Composition and Format

12.1. The Round Robin tournament shall be played with fixed partnerships for the entire duration of the group stage.

12.2. The minimum number of Players is four (4). There shall be no fixed maximum number of Teams.

Article 13 — Group Stage Schedule

13.1. The group stage shall be composed in accordance with the circle method, so that every Team plays every other Team exactly once.

13.2. The number of group-stage Rounds shall be:

• where the number of Teams is even: N − 1 Rounds;
• where the number of Teams is odd: N Rounds. In this case, each Team shall be assigned a Bye for exactly one (1) Round during the group stage.

13.3. The schedule of the group stage shall be deterministic and shall be drawn at the commencement of the tournament.

Article 14 — Playoff Phase

14.1. The Organiser may, at the time of the convocation of the tournament, provide for a playoff phase to follow the group stage.

14.2. The structure of the playoff phase shall be as follows:

14.3. The seedings for the playoff phase shall be drawn from the group-stage standings established under Article 18.

Title IV — Scoring System

Article 15 — Match Score

15.1. The scoring mode of each match shall be fixed by the Organiser prior to the commencement of the tournament. It shall consist of one of the following:

• Point-cap mode — the two Teams shall jointly contest a fixed Points-per-Match Total. The scores recorded shall be non-negative integers whose sum is equal to the Points-per-Match Total.
• Sets mode — the match shall be played to the best of one or three sets, in accordance with the FIP Rules of Padel.
• Tiebreak mode — the match shall consist of a single tiebreak game played to a designated target, the winner being the first Team to reach the target with a margin of at least two (2) points.

15.2. In point-cap mode, a tied result is a valid match outcome and shall not be replayed.

15.3. The Organiser may designate one Round (typically the Final or the 3rd-place match) to be played under a different scoring format, by express decision communicated to the Players prior to the start of that Round.

Article 16 — Bye

16.1. A Bye shall not constitute a victory and shall not award any point, game, or set to the resting Player or Team.

16.2. The number of Byes received by each Player or Team during the tournament shall be recorded separately for reference only.

Title V — Classification and Tiebreakers

Article 17 — Classification of Players (Rotating Partnerships)

17.1. Where the tournament is played with rotating partnerships, the classification shall be individual. Players shall be classified in descending order according to the following criteria, applied in sequence:

1. Point differential (points scored minus points conceded), being the primary criterion;
2. Total points scored by the Player over the course of the tournament;
3. Number of victories in matches in which the Player has participated;
4. Direct encounter (head-to-head) between Players still tied.

17.2. For the purposes of Article 17.1, the points scored and conceded by a Player in any given match shall be the points scored and conceded by the partnership of which the Player formed part in that match.

17.3. Byes shall not contribute to any of the criteria set out in Article 17.1.

Article 18 — Classification of Teams (Fixed Partnerships)

18.1. Where the tournament is played with fixed partnerships, the classification shall be by Team. Teams shall be classified in descending order according to the following criteria, applied in sequence:

1. Number of victories (Byes excluded);
2. Direct encounter (head-to-head) between Teams tied on victories;
3. Game differential (games won minus games lost);
4. Total games won.

18.2. Where Teams remain tied after the application of Article 18.1, the order shall be determined by deterministic draw.

Article 19 — Final Classification in Round Robin Tournaments

19.1. Where a playoff phase has been played, the final classification shall be:

• 1st place — winner of the Final;
• 2nd place — loser of the Final;
• 3rd place — winner of the 3rd-place match;
• 4th place — loser of the 3rd-place match;
• 5th place and below — the corresponding group-stage classification, preserved in order.

19.2. Where no playoff phase has been played, the final classification shall be the classification established under Article 18 at the close of the group stage.

Title VI — Common Provisions

Article 20 — Conduct of Matches

20.1. All matches shall be played in accordance with the FIP Rules of Padel, subject to such modifications as are expressly set out in these Regulations.

20.2. Players shall present themselves on Court at the time designated by the Organiser. A Team failing to appear may be declared a forfeit by the Organiser.

20.3. The result of a finished match shall be recorded by the Organiser or by a Player designated by the Organiser. Standings shall be recalculated immediately upon the recording of each result.

Article 21 — Modification of Results

21.1. The Organiser may correct a recorded result where it is established that the result was entered in error.

Article 22 — Disciplinary Matters

22.1. Conduct on Court shall be governed by the FIP Rules of Padel and by any code of conduct adopted by the Organiser or the host club.

22.2. The Organiser may, at its sole discretion, exclude from the tournament any Player whose conduct is deemed contrary to the spirit of fair competition.

Article 23 — Force Majeure

23.1. In the event of force majeure preventing the conclusion of the tournament in its programmed form, the Organiser may shorten the number of Rounds, cancel the playoff phase, or take any other measure deemed appropriate.

23.2. In such cases, the classification shall be determined according to the matches actually played.

Article 24 — Final Provisions

24.1. These Regulations apply to all tournaments organised on the pade.live platform under the Americano, Mexicano, or Round Robin formats.

24.2. In the event of conflict between these Regulations and any provision communicated by the Organiser, these Regulations shall prevail, save as provided under Article 3.

24.3. Any matter not expressly addressed in these Regulations shall be resolved by the Organiser in accordance with the spirit of fair competition and the FIP Rules of Padel.

Annex I — Participant Agreement & Release of Liability

Acceptance by registration. By completing registration for any tournament or event published on pade.live, the participant confirms that they have read, understood, and accepted this document in full. Registration is not possible without such acceptance.

1. Voluntary participation. I take part in a padel tournament/event organized through pade.live (the "Event") voluntarily. I confirm that my state of health allows me to engage in physical activity and competition.

2. Assumption of risk. I understand that padel is a physical sport and that participation carries risks that cannot be fully eliminated despite precautions. These include, among others: injuries (sprains, bruises, fractures, joint and ligament damage), collisions with other players, falls, contact with the ball, racket, glass walls, net, and other court elements, and adverse effects related to physical exertion. I voluntarily assume all such risks, both known and unforeseen.

3. Release for personal injury. I waive any claims against the Event organizers, pade.live, the venue owners and staff, referees, and volunteers in connection with any injury, harm to health, or deterioration of wellbeing arising from my participation. This release does not apply to gross negligence or intentional acts by the organizers or the venue.

4. Responsibility for material damage. I accept personal financial responsibility for damage I cause to court equipment or infrastructure (including glass panels, net, posts, fencing, and surface) where such damage results from intentional acts, breach of the rules of conduct (e.g. throwing or hitting the racket against the glass, posts, or fencing), or gross breach of safety rules. Accidental damage occurring during normal play in compliance with the rules is not my responsibility and is governed by the agreement between the organizer and the venue owner.

5. Medical assistance. In case of injury or emergency, I authorize the organizers to call medical assistance if necessary. I understand that medical and treatment costs are borne by me.

6. Insurance. I understand that the organizer is not obliged to provide me with individual medical or sports insurance, and that responsibility for having such insurance rests with me.

7. Minors. If the participant is under 18, this agreement must be accepted by a parent or legal guardian on the minor's behalf.

8. Confirmation. By completing registration I confirm that: I am at least 18 years old (or my parent/legal guardian consents on my behalf); I have read and understood this document; and I voluntarily accept all its terms.

This document is a template and does not constitute legal advice.