Earlier today, the Pro Padel League (PPL) finally announced the full schedule for its sophomore 2024 season, with the first two events taking place April 1-6 and April 8-13 in Florida.
The next two events will be held in Southern California from August 12-17 and August 19-24 with more information on the venues to be announced in the upcoming weeks. This will be followed by the PPL Cup Final in New York, which is scheduled to take place November 18-23.
New Season, New Franchises, New Faces …
While only seven teams competed in the inaugural season, this year there will be 10 teams competing for the chance to lift the PPL Cup — and win a total prize pool of $1 million — including the Las Vegas Smash (2023 Champions), Cancun Waves (2023 Finalists), Miami Padel Club, Flowrida Goats, San Diego Stingrays, Los Angeles Beat, Arkansas Matrix, Toronto Polar Bears, New York Atlantics, and Houston Volts.
Additionally in 2024, the PPL will increase the total number of matches played by over 400% to nearly 100, expand their viewer content by nearly 300% to over 200 total hours, and engage new markets for PPL franchises.
PPL Commissioner, Marcos del Pilar, commented: “We are extremely excited to continue to deliver on our commitment of developing padel in North America and being the catalyst for growth across the continent. The PPL has tremendous momentum right now and there’s incredible energy behind the sport.”
Given the level of talent the PPL has attracted for its upcoming season, it seems likely that that momentum will only increase in 2024. In fact, for this upcoming season, over 80% of the newly signed PPL players are ranked top 50 in the world.
These include Pablo Lima (former No. 1, Flowrida Goats), Juan Martín Díaz (No. 1 for 14 years, New York Atlantics), Fede Chingotto (current No. 7, New York Atlantics), Miguel Lamperti (former No. 2, San Diego Stingrays), and twins Mapi and Majo Sánchez Alayeto (former No. 1, Flowrida Goats) amongst several other top ten players in the world.
… And (Somewhat) New Format
According to a statement from the Pro Padel League, for the 2024 season:
- All teams will play at the four (4) regular season PPL events
- Regular season events will run for a total of six (6) days (Monday – Saturday) and teams are guaranteed four (4) matches over five (5) days (in a 10-team scenario)
- Teams will be split into two groups and each team will play every team in their group once. Group assignments will be chosen at random for the first event, all future event group assignments will be merit based
- Men’s and women’s doubles will be best two out of three sets (golden point) with a 10-point champions breaker in-lieu of the third set. The mixed doubles match will be played regardless of the score after men’s and women’s doubles and that match will be one-set (golden point) with a tie-breaker at 6-6.
And then, at the conclusion of the regular season:
- The top eight (8) teams in the standings will advance to the the PPL Cup Final
- The Final will run for a total of five (5) days (Tuesday – Saturday) and teams are guaranteed three (3) matches over three (3) days
- Teams will be split into two (2) groups and each team will play every team in their group once. Group assignments will be determined by standings at the end of the regular season
- The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, winners of semifinal matches will play in the final, and losers will play for 3rd and 4th place
- Men’s and women’s doubles will be best two out of three sets (golden point) with a 10-point champions breaker in-lieu of the third set. The mixed doubles match will be played regardless of the score after men’s and women’s doubles and that match will be one-set (golden point) with a tie-breaker at 6-6.
Let the Games Begin!
Of his thoughts on the league’s upcoming sophomore season, PPL Commissioner Marcos del Pilar concluded by saying:
“At this time of exciting growth for the sport, we are elevating our product to create exceptional opportunities for padel players as well as entertain, inspire, and provide value to our fans.
The energy in, and around, the new top-level players signing with the PPL for the 2024 season has exceeded our expectations. We always believed that North America would drive the excitement and value of padel on a global basis. With the 2024 calendar, the PPL will deliver unbelievable competition, new business revenue opportunities, and increasing television network coverage.”
