Scope
The authority and version used here
This page applies the International Padel Federation Rules of Padel, review applicable 1 January 2026. FIP is the worldwide governing body named in that document. The equipment sections before Rule 1 control the ball and racket; Rules 10, 13 and 17 control the important live-point and replacement outcomes; the attire provision appears in the etiquette and conduct section.
This is the international baseline, not a promise that every club, national federation or professional tour uses identical operational rules. Court owners may impose safety or surface-protection conditions, and competition regulations may add an official ball, ball rotation, clothing, sponsor-identification and electronic-device rules.
Racket checklist
Measure the head and handle separately
The FIP 2026 racket section divides the racket into a head and a handle. The limits are:
- Whole racket: head plus handle, maximum 45.5 cm long.
- Head: maximum 26 cm wide and 38 mm thick; head length may vary within the overall-length limit.
- Handle: maximum 20 cm long, 50 mm across the throat (excluding the open space between the sides) and 50 mm thick.
- Measurement control: FIP allows a 2.5% tolerance in thickness.
FIP does not prescribe one consumer shape, balance or weight in this playing-rule section. A round, teardrop or diamond profile is not illegal merely because of its outline; the measurable limits and other construction tests still apply.
Face and holes
The central holes have a narrower specification
The hitting surface may contain an unlimited number of cylindrical holes, but holes in the central area must each measure from 9 mm to 13 mm. Within the band extending no more than 4 cm inward from the racket edge, holes may be larger or differently shaped, provided neither their length nor width exceeds 20 mm and the design does not alter the essence of the game.
Both sides must be flat, but either may be smooth or rough. “Rough face” is therefore not, by itself, a ruling that the racket is illegal.
Safety cord
The cord must be attached and worn
The FIP racket section requires a non-elastic cord, fixed into the handle, with a maximum length of 35 cm. The player must put it around the wrist; the rule calls its use obligatory, not optional safety advice.
Rule 13(r) supplies the immediate match consequence: if the player breaks the safety cord or drops the racket while a point is in dispute, that pair loses the point. Rule 13(m) separately says a ball hit with a racket thrown at it is a lost point. A player cannot rescue the rally by catching the racket, reattaching the cord or making an otherwise good return after the triggering event.
Attachments
Only limited racket attachments are contemplated
The FIP 2026 racket section permits attached objects or devices only when specifically used to limit or prevent deterioration, reduce vibration or distribute weight, and only when reasonable in size and position. It also rejects reflecting surfaces or sound elements that confuse or disturb players or modify the normal development of the game.
A visible or audible device that communicates, warns or gives instructions to the player during a game is prohibited. That does not create a universal rule that every silent sensor in every competition is lawful: an attached sensor must still satisfy the narrow attachment rule, and a tour may separately require approval for player-analytics technology.
Ball specification
Size, mass, rebound and pressure all matter
For an FIP official competition, compliance with the dimensions is not enough: the model must also be approved by FIP. Under the 2026 playing rules, a standard ball must be a rubber sphere with a uniform exterior and a colour—white, yellow or another colour—that contrasts clearly with the playing surface.
- Diameter: 6.35 cm to 6.77 cm.
- Mass: 56.0 g to 59.4 g.
- New-ball rebound: 135 cm to 145 cm when dropped from 2.54 m onto a hard surface.
- Internal pressure: 4.6 kg to 5.2 kg per 2.54 cm², using the unit as printed by FIP.
A product labelled “padel ball” is therefore not automatically eligible for an FIP event. Approval applies to the brand and model, has an expiry date, and can be withdrawn; players and organizers should use FIP's current approved-ball list rather than an old package or retailer description.
Altitude
The playing rule allows another ball above 1,000 m
The FIP Rules of Padel effective 1 January 2026 say that another type of ball may be used above 1,000 m above sea level, with a rebound greater than 121.92 cm but less than 135 cm. “May” matters: altitude does not let an individual player substitute a preferred ball during a match; the organizer selects and announces the approved event ball.
Published-source caution: FIP's separately maintained Approved Balls certification PDF is internally inconsistent with the playing rule: its copied rules extract says above 800 m, while a later technical note refers to 1,219 m. This page uses the 1,000 m threshold in the controlling 2026 Rules of Padel for match law. For an actual event, the tournament notice and referee's selected FIP-approved model should settle which ball is used.
Before the match
The organizer must announce the ball conditions
FIP Rule 17 requires the organizer to announce in advance the ball brand and type, whether two or three balls will be used, and any ball-change policy. A scheduled change may be after a stated odd number of games or at the start of a set. For counting a game-based change, the warm-up counts as two games and a tie-break counts as one.
A change is not made at the start of a tie-break; it is postponed to the start of the second game of the following set. If officials miss a scheduled change, they correct the mistake when the team that should originally have served with new balls next has the serve. Completed points remain completed, and the original rotation resumes.
Lost or damaged ball
Replacement is not the same as replaying the point
Rule 17 says a lost or damaged ball must be replaced as soon as possible with the same type, and play must not continue when only one ball is available. If the loss occurs within the first two games after a ball change, the replacement is new. After two completed games, the replacement is a used ball of similar wear.
That replacement procedure does not itself award a let. Rule 10(a) gives a let when the ball splits during the game. Ordinary wear noticed between points, or a ball lost after the point has already ended, is handled by replacement rather than retrospectively replaying the previous point.
Attire baseline
FIP requires suitable sports clothing and footwear
The 2026 etiquette and conduct section prohibits swimwear and requires suitable sports clothing and footwear. It recommends—but does not require—matching clothing for partners in competitions. Players may choose their footwear, clothing and racket only if each is regulation.
Under that FIP baseline, non-compliant attire first produces a fault and must be corrected; failure to correct it leads to disqualification. The playing rules do not prescribe a universal shoe-sole pattern or say that every padel venue must use the same dress code. Non-marking soles, court-specific footwear and local clothing rules should be identified as venue or competition conditions.
Premier Padel variation
Professional tour rules add clothing and device controls
The Premier Padel Men's and Women's Official Rulebooks, Version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026, add requirements that are not universal club rules. Section 6.1 requires a professional appearance, bars rings or other objects that may cause injury, requires partners to compete in the same clothing colour, and gives officials power to order clothing or equipment changed. It also regulates sponsor and manufacturer identifications.
Those Premier Padel rules prohibit a player or coach from using an electronic device from the warm-up rally to the end of the match unless the Supervisor or Referee approves it; use is permitted during an official suspension. Health-monitoring use requires prior approval. Section 11.3 also fixes a tour procedure of three balls, changed after the first nine games and then every eleven games, unless FIP approves an exception.
Live-point effects
Legal equipment can still lose the rally
Equipment approval answers whether the item may be used; Rule 13 answers what happens when it becomes involved in a live point. The pair loses the point if:
- a player, racket or anything worn or carried touches the net, net posts, tension cable or the opponents' court while the ball is live, subject to Rule 13's narrow neutral-post exception for authorized out-of-court play;
- the ball, after an opponent's shot, hits the player or equipment other than the racket;
- the player's own shot then touches that player, the partner or anything either wears; or
- the racket is dropped, its safety cord breaks, or the racket is thrown to hit the ball.
The decisive fact is what happened during the point, not whether the hat, watch, shoe or racket was legal to bring onto court.
Decision path
How to rule on an equipment problem
- Name the ruleset. Start with FIP 2026, then check the appointed competition and venue regulations.
- Classify the item. Racket construction, approved ball, attire, attached device and carried accessory use different tests.
- Check legality before play. Measure the relevant racket part, verify the current ball model and correct attire or approval issues.
- Identify when the event occurred. A split ball during a rally, a lost ball after a point and a missed scheduled ball change have different outcomes.
- Apply the specific live-point rule first. Rule 10 gives a let for a split ball; Rule 13 gives point loss for a broken cord, dropped racket, thrown racket or prohibited contact.
- Restore legal conditions. Replace or correct the item before the next point, then resume the announced ball rotation and any competition procedure.
Worked case 1
The cord snaps after a winning smash
Situation: Blue hits a smash that the opponents cannot reach, but Blue's safety cord breaks while the point is still in dispute.
FIP 2026 ruling: Blue's pair loses the point under Rule 13(r). The apparent winner does not take priority over the express cord-break rule.
Worked case 2
A ball splits during a long rally
Situation: the ball visibly splits after a return and the players stop.
FIP 2026 ruling: Rule 10(a) makes the point a let, so the point is replayed. The umpire then replaces the damaged ball under Rule 17; this is not a point awarded to the pair that made the last legal shot.
Worked case 3
A scheduled ball change is discovered late
Situation: the event scheduled new balls after nine games, but officials discover the omission while the other pair is serving in the next game.
FIP 2026 ruling: do not change immediately and do not erase points. Rule 17 delays correction until the pair that should have served with the new balls next serves, then restores the original schedule.
Worked case 4
A player checks a watch during a tour break
Situation: during a normal changeover in a Premier Padel match, a player reads data from a smartwatch without prior approval.
Premier Padel 2026/2 ruling: Section 6.1.4's electronic-device restriction continues during breaks in play. A normal changeover is not an official suspension, so the use is prohibited unless the Supervisor or Referee approved it. A medically necessary monitor also requires approval.
Common mistakes
Claims that are too broad
- “The cord is recommended.” FIP makes wearing the non-elastic wrist cord obligatory.
- “Any padel-branded ball is tournament legal.” FIP official events require a currently approved brand and model.
- “A damaged ball always means replay.” A ball that splits during the rally is a let; other loss, damage or wear normally triggers Rule 17 replacement.
- “Rough racket faces are illegal.” FIP permits flat faces to be smooth or rough.
- “Professional dress and smartwatch rules apply at every club.” Premier Padel's added controls belong to its own 2026/2 competition rulebooks.
Official references
Governing-body sources and effective versions
Checked against the FIP playing rules applicable from 1 January 2026, the live FIP-approved ball document, and Premier Padel Version 2026/2. The playing rulebook controls this page's international baseline; an appointed tournament's regulations and notice may supplement it. FIP's approved-ball document contains conflicting altitude and ball-count extracts, so it is used here for certification status rather than to replace Rule 17 or the playing rulebook's altitude threshold.