How padel competitions work in Belgium

Belgian padel is organised by region, like most Belgian sport. Which body you belong to depends on the club you join, and that decides which interclub you play and where you look up tournaments. The good news for a new player is that the first step is the same everywhere: join a club, and the club affiliates you.

Who runs padel

In Flanders it is Padel Vlaanderen, part of Tennis en Padel Vlaanderen. In Wallonia and Brussels there are two organisations. Padel Wallonie-Bruxelles is the padel side of Tennis Padel Pickleball Wallonie-Bruxelles, the federation formerly known as the AFT. The AFPadel (Association Francophone de Padel) is a separate association, active since 2015, with its own clubs, competitions and rankings. French-speaking clubs are affiliated with one or the other, so ask your club which one it belongs to before you look up competitions.

Getting affiliated

In Flanders, joining a club means the club must register you with Tennis en Padel Vlaanderen, which also covers you with sports accident insurance. Adults pay a small service fee to the federation on top of the club membership, once per season even if you join several clubs. If you do not want to join a club, Padel Vlaanderen also sells an individual membership that lets you play tournaments. The 2026 season runs until 31 March 2027.

At Padel Wallonie-Bruxelles, everyone who plays at an affiliated club must be affiliated, competition player or not. From 2026 one federal affiliation, paid through a club, covers tennis, padel and pickleball; to play competitions you are then activated by a club that offers padel. The AFPadel works with licences taken out through your club: a competition licence (Licence Joueur), a free junior licence, and a cheaper Licence Plaisir meant for recreational play, whose benefits do not include the official tournaments and interclubs.

Rankings

Your ranking decides which tournament categories and interclub divisions you can play. In Flanders the Keytrade Bank padelklassementen run in P-levels: P100 to P1000 for men and P50 to P700 for women. They are recalculated twice a year, in July and December, from your results, and you can follow a provisional "virtual" ranking in the app. Padel Wallonie-Bruxelles uses the same style of level categories in its tournaments (MD 100, WD 50 and so on), and the AFPadel publishes its own Elo-based ranking.

Interclub

Interclub is the Belgian name for club team competition, and it is the heart of the season for many players. In Flanders the Schweppes Padel Interclub ran from 20 March to 21 June in 2026, with Flemish Finals for the regional winners at the end of June. Clubs submit their teams and player lists in January, teams play a group stage of up to six teams, and the best go on to regional finals. Since 2026, players may only play in a division at most one ranking level above or below their own. Padel Vlaanderen also runs the Padel Mixed Cup and Padel Senior Cup as team events.

Padel Wallonie-Bruxelles runs Interclubs dames, open et juniors from March and autumn Interclubs mixtes et vétérans from late August. The AFPadel's interclubs for women's and men's teams start with team registration in January and February, and matches are played from Friday to Sunday between March and June.

Whichever body it is, you never enter interclub yourself. Tell your club you want to play and the club's interclub captain or coordinator puts you on a team.

Tournaments

Tournaments are played in pairs and both players must be affiliated. In Flanders you search and enter through the Tennis en Padel Vlaanderen website or app. The main adult circuit is the CUPRA Padel Tour, with men's, women's and mixed draws at every level; the Certina Padel Tour Legends is for players over 50; and the Lotto Belgian Padel Tour is the national circuit for the top ranking levels. Padel Wallonie-Bruxelles tournaments run from January to the end of November and are listed on its site, while the AFPadel publishes its own calendar.

A sensible first step

Most clubs run their own americanos, ladders and level-based evenings, which are the easiest way to find teammates before interclub registration opens. Once you are a member, ask when the club collects interclub names, because in Flanders that happens in January. To get started, find a club near you on this site.