Hexagon Goes Global: Can Team Padel Turn Viewers into Club Players?

Padel’s expansion story comes with a question for everyone selling the sport: will more people become fans, and will that help bring them onto court?

On 21 October, Hexagon World Series announced a four-event international season for 2027. Madrid opens proceedings on 21–24 January, followed by North America in March and Scandinavia in June. Abu Dhabi hosts the finale on 21–24 October. The North American and Scandinavian host cities remain unannounced.

The FIP-governed competition will feature eight teams, seven revealed, with backers including Andy Murray, Eva Longoria and Sergio Agüero. Each team fields a men’s pair and a women’s pair, contributing equally, with equal prize money.

Matches will use a best-of-five Super Tie-Break format rather than conventional sets. The first four are played to ten points; a deciding fifth goes to six. This is a specific competition format, rather than a change to recreational padel.

Why the industry should care

For clubs, the opportunity is to give customers another reason to feel connected to padel between bookings. A team to follow, a recognisable owner and a season with an overall winner could make professional competition easier to discuss with occasional players.

That is our reading of the opportunity, rather than evidence that this particular series will increase participation. Celebrity recognition can attract an initial glance. Keeping somebody watching requires compelling matches, accessible coverage and a reason to care about the result.

Operators should watch how successfully the competition explains itself to newcomers. If the presentation works, there may be useful lessons for introducing club leagues, communicating results and making local players feel part of something beyond their weekly booking.

An opportunity for women’s padel

The equal contribution of men’s and women’s matches deserves attention from sponsors and club managers. It gives both competitions a direct role in deciding team success.

Our view is that sponsors should build that equality into their campaigns from the outset. Clubs could take a similar approach when designing team events, giving women’s matches prominent scheduling and promotion, then measuring attendance and repeat participation.

There is also scope for coaches to connect professional storytelling with sessions: explain a tactical pattern, show players how it works, and help them recognise it when they next watch.

What Racket Business thinks

The commercial test will come after the launch announcements. Sponsors will need to understand who watches, how consistently they return and whether that attention produces meaningful customer relationships.

A sensible club response would be a small experiment: a viewing evening linked to a beginner session, or a team competition built around familiar local faces. Track bookings and returning players before committing more budget.

Professional padel can give the grassroots game useful stories and shared occasions. The industry’s task is to make those occasions welcoming and easy to join. If Hexagon helps clubs do that, its value could extend well beyond four tournament weeks.

That would give operators something practical to build on: a connection between watching the sport, finding people to play with and booking the next session.