Padel vs Pickleball: Two Sports, Two Markets
Both claim to be the fastest-growing racket sport in the world. Padel has 35 million players across 90 countries. Pickleball has 48 million players in one country. Here is what the prize money data actually looks like.
The key difference: Padel earns entirely through tournament prize money. Pickleball's top players earn guaranteed base salaries through MLP franchise contracts on top of prize money. Source: UPA ($31M figure), PPA Tour prize schedules.
The Numbers at a Glance
Eight metrics that matter. Where each sport has a meaningful edge.
Prize Money Breakdown: Event by Event
Comparing equivalent tournament tiers. At the top, the sports pay similarly per player. The real divergence sits in the contract layer below the prize money.
The hidden gap: Padel has no guaranteed base salaries. A padel player ranked #50 in the world earns only what they win in tournaments. In pickleball, a player ranked #50 may hold an MLP franchise contract worth $50,000–$100,000 per year as a guaranteed base. This contract layer makes the true earnings gap larger than tournament prize money alone suggests.
Where the Money Really Is
Premier Padel runs 79 Premier Padel and FIP events across 30+ countries. Every cent of professional income comes from prize money: no guaranteed contracts, no franchise salaries, no appearance fees at tour level.
- +Revenue spread over 79 Premier Padel and FIP events globally
- +Major and P1 prizes competitive with mid-tier tennis doubles
- +Sponsorship deals growing rapidly (Coello/Rolex is a signal)
- -No floor income. A ranked #80 player may earn under €30K/year
- -Tour costs (travel, coaching, fitness) often exceed €30K/year
The PPA Tour runs ~30 events, nearly all in the United States. The Major League Pickleball (MLP) franchise system guarantees base salaries to the top ~200 players, fundamentally changing the economics for mid-tier professionals.
- +Guaranteed MLP contracts: $30K–$150K/year for top ~200 players
- +$31M total player earnings announced by UPA for 2025
- +US media market drives larger sponsorship budgets (ESPN, etc.)
- -85%+ of players and earnings are US-concentrated
- -Tour fragmentation (PPA vs APP vs MLP) creates chaos at mid-tier
Player Earnings: Top 5 vs Top 5
Padel data comes live from our database as career totals (prize money only). Pickleball figures are estimated annual earnings including contracts and prize money. The comparison is approximate but directionally sound.
Men's Top 5
Career prize money totals. Updated live from our database.
Annual estimates. Sources: PPA Tour, MLP, public reporting.
Women's Top 5
Career prize money totals. Updated live from our database.
Annual estimates. Sources: PPA Tour, MLP, public reporting.
Why the comparison is tricky: Padel figures are career totals accumulated over 3-5 years. Pickleball figures are annual estimates including contracts. A fairer comparison: Coello and Tapia earn roughly €300K–€340K per year in prize money. Ben Johns earns roughly $1M per year total. Anna Leigh Waters earns roughly $700K per year total. At the very top, pickleball currently outpays padel. At the mid-tier (#20-#100), padel's higher per-event prizes often mean more tournament income, but pickleball's MLP contracts provide more security.
Growth Trajectories: Both Doubling, Different Markets
Both sports have grown dramatically since 2019. The pace is similar; the geography is completely different.
Key insight: From 2022 to 2026, Premier Padel prize money grew from approximately €4M to €27M+, roughly 6x in four years. The PPA Tour grew from approximately $5M to $20M over the same period, 4x growth. Padel has grown faster in prize money terms, but pickleball has grown faster in total player base (in the US) due to the enormous domestic market.
The Sponsorship Landscape
Arturo Coello is the most-sponsored padel player ever. His portfolio includes Rolex (first padel player signed by the watchmaker), On Running, Golden Goose, and Bullpadel for rackets. His sponsorship income likely exceeds his prize money, pushing total annual earnings well above €1M.
Outside the top 5, padel sponsorships are typically small racket deals (€10K–€50K per year from brands like Adidas, Head, and Wilson) and regional apparel contracts. The gap between Coello and #10 is enormous.
Ben Johns' sponsorship portfolio includes Head (paddle equipment), plus activation from brands targeting the affluent US recreational market. Anna Leigh Waters is sponsored by Selkirk. The US consumer market drives larger sponsor budgets than European padel brands.
Pickleball's corporate sponsor profile looks very different from padel: financial services, health insurance, and casual sportswear rather than luxury goods and European performance brands. Different audiences attract different money.
Which Sport Pays Better? It Depends on Your Rank.
Ben Johns earns $1M+. Coello earns ~€340K in prizes. Even with Coello's Rolex deal added, Johns likely still leads. MLP franchise income plus US media exposure generate outsized earnings at the very peak.
Premier Padel P1 and P2 events pay well at this level. A player ranked #10 in padel likely earns €80K–€150K/year in prize money. An MLP contract at rank #10 in pickleball might be $75K–$120K guaranteed, plus prize money on top. Tournament earnings favor padel here; total income with contracts favors pickleball.
A Premier Padel player ranked #50 may earn €20K–€40K per year in prize money. A PPA player ranked #50 might earn $15K–$25K in prize money, though a lower-tier MLP contract could add $30K–$50K on top. Without a contract, padel's per-event prize minimums are substantially higher than PPA Challenger events.
At this level, both sports see players earning less than tour costs. In padel, the median career earnings are just €1,485 for men across all tracked players. In pickleball, the APP and regional circuits pay minimal prize money. Both sports require sponsors, coaching income, or a second job below roughly rank #75.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is padel or pickleball bigger globally?
Which sport pays more, padel or pickleball?
Can you play both padel and pickleball professionally?
Is padel harder than pickleball to play?
Which is growing faster in 2026?
What is the total prize money comparison padel vs pickleball?
Does padel have equal pay for men and women?
Will padel or pickleball be at the Olympics first?
Explore Live Padel Earnings
See real-time career prize money for every professional padel player. Updated after every tournament. The only database of its kind.
Sources & Methodology
Padel prize money figures sourced from Premier Padel official prize schedules and our live database of tournament results.
Pickleball prize money figures sourced from PPA Tour official prize schedules (ppasports.com) and APP Tour announcements.
$31M total player earnings figure sourced from Universal Pickleball Association (UPA) announcement, 2025.
Pickleball player earnings estimates compiled from public PPA Tour prize disclosures, MLP contract reporting, and sports business coverage including Sportico.
Player count figures: Association of Pickleball Players (APP) 2024 report (48.3M); FIP / Federacion Internacional de Padel player count data (35M, 2024).
Growth data estimated from Premier Padel press releases, WPT/Premier Padel merger announcements, and PPA Tour media coverage.