A historic landing
Neither the Atlantic mist of the morning nor the silhouette of Igueldo At dusk they will prevent San Sebastián from writing an unprecedented page in the history of international padel. July 10-13, 2025 he Royal Tennis Club of San Sebastián (RCTSS) will become the first European headquarters of the Pro Padel League (PPL), the professional team league born in the US that has shaken up the global landscape of the sport in just two seasons. The news, confirmed by the club itself, has been hailed as “a historic milestone” for the organization and the city, which aims to position itself as a new benchmark for global padel.
The choice is no coincidence. “Spain is the heart of the international padel scene, and there’s no better place to make your European debut than Donostia,” he summed up. Mike Dorfman, founder and CEO of the league, when presenting the 2025 calendar. That same conviction beats in the words of Gustavo Santoscoy, Head of Expansion for Europe: “We want this first tournament to leave its mark and for San Sebastian fans to have a unique experience with the best padel in the world.”
From Tampa to La Concha: A Brief History of the PPL
The Pro Padel Leaguewas born in 2023, when a handful of businessmen – among them Dorfman and former tennis player Marcos del Pilar – decided that padel needed an NBA-style format: franchises, spectacle and gender parity. Its first final, held in Orlando, crowned the Las Vegas Smashafter an electrifying victory over Cancun WavesThe following year the Flowrida Goats, a Florida team co-owned by singer Daddy Yankee, raised the City’s Cup in New York and lit the media fuse with the reggaeton singer’s presence on the dance floor.
In just two seasons the league has attracted fresh investment: in April 2025 it closed a round of 10 million dollars Led by Left Lane Capital, the company plans to expand its media footprint and strengthen its prize money. “Padel offers the ‘new F1 moment’ that brands are looking for; it’s young, social, and global,” Dorfman argues.
The format: adrenaline in three acts
One of the secrets of the PPL’s success is its television rhythm Each qualifying round pits two franchises against each other. Men’s and women’s doubles; the matches are played in the best of three sets with Golden Point at 40-40and a opponent tie-break and 10 Instead of a full third set, the rule compresses the duration and increases the number of decisive points: according to studies, one in three women’s games and one in four men’s games are decided with this silver bullet.
The 2025 season maintains its 10 franchises—Arkansas Matrix, Cancún Waves, Flowrida Goats, Houston Volts, Las Vegas Smash, Los Angeles Beat, Miami Padel Club, New York Atlantics, San Diego Stingrays and Toronto Polar Bears— and plans five stops: Miami, San Sebastian Guadalajara (Mexico), the All-Star Festival in the Hamptons, and the City’s Cup final in New York. The top eight in the combined standings will advance to the final round in New York.
Why Donostia-San Sebastián
The PPL had tested several European cities, but the balance tipped in favor of Donostia thanks to three factors:
- Tradition and infrastructure: The RCTSS, founded in 1904, will add a new tennis court to its tennis courts. Adidas PPL High Competition 2025 removable center court with 360° visibility, LED lighting and gold finishes, presented at the Padel World Summit in Barcelona.
- Operational capacity: stands will be installed for 1,500 spectators, an ideal capacity to create a television atmosphere without losing closeness.
- City brand: The combination of elite sport and gastronomic appeal fits into the sports tourism strategy promoted by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, whose representative Roberto Ramajo participated in the presentation of the new venue.
Dates, times and tickets
The tournament will start on Thursday 10th at 17:00with the opening ceremony and the first group stage matches; Friday the 11th and Saturday 12 will offer a double session (10:00 and 17:00), and the Sunday 13thThe finals will raise the curtain at noon.
Tickets — exclusively online throughThe English Court—parts of the 30,25 € per session, while full subscriptions cost around €240. Discount codes have been enabled (PPLEUROPA2025for generals andPPL2025VIPfor premium areas), and there will be no physical sales in the club.
The stars that will illuminate the bay
The Pro Padel League Donostia boasts a strong lineup. Among the names confirmed or in the process of being registered are:
- Agustín Tapia and Faith Chingotto (Miami Padel Club), current number 1 and number 3 in the Premier Padel ranking.
- Ariana Sánchez and Jon Sanz (New York Atlantics), a duo called to bring Hispanic salsa to the event.
- Marta Ortega and Sofia Araujo (Las Vegas Smash), a world champion alongside the best Portuguese player.
The provisional list, revealed at the official presentation, includes up to thirty top-20 athletes from both categories. With such a constellation, analysts are already talking about a “mini-World Cup” under the roof of Gipuzkoa.
To give you a clear picture of the teams and stars expected in PPL 2025, we’ve compiled the following table with examples of notable players by franchise:
| Franchise | Featured Players (examples) |
| New York Atlantics | Andrea Ustero, Tamara Icardo, Ari Sanchez, Lucas Campagnolo, Javi Garrido, Jon Sanz, Juan Tello |
| Houston Volts | Lorena Rufo, Marta Caparrós, Marta Barrera, Pablo García, Iván Ramírez, José María Aliaga Cruz, Alberto García |
| Toronto Polar Bears | Victoria Iglesias, Marina Guinart, Noemí Aguilar, Carla Mesa, Pincho Fernández, Adrián Ronco, Mario Huete |
| San Diego Stingrays | Lucia Sainz, Brittany Dubbins, Vero Virseda, Claudia Jensen, Maxi Sanchez, Lucas Bergamini, Jairo Bautista, Alex Chozas |
| Miami Padel Club | Virginia Riera, Marta Talaván, Jessica Castelló, Edu Alonso, Agustín Tapia, Fede Chingotto, Ramiro Valenzuela |
| Cancun Waves | Marina Lobo, Sofia Saiz, Agustin Torre, Maxi Arce, Franco Dal Bianco, Alex Ruiz |
| Los Angeles Beat | Barbara Las Heras, Carla Fernandez, Martina Fassio, Tolito Aguirre, Alvaro Cepero, Pablo Lijo |
| Arkansas Matrix | Paty Llaguno, Araceli Martinez, Beatriz Caldera, Alex Arroyo, Gonzalo Rubio, Mario del Castillo, Inigo Jofre |
| Las Vegas Smash | Alejandra Alonso, Sofia Araújo, Marta Ortega, Noa Cánovas, Sara Ruiz, Xisco Gil, Fede Mouriño, Gonzalo Alfonso, Javi Barahona |
| Flowrida Goats | Aranzazu Osoro, Gemma Triay, Delfi Brea, Martin Di Nenno, Leo Augsburger |
A show that goes beyond the network
The PPL isn’t traveling alone: the Fan Zone set up in the club’s gardens will combine live music, food trucks serving Basque cuisine, and sports brands. On Saturday morning, a Beneficial Pro-Am with very limited capacity for fans dreaming of playing alongside Tapia or Triay. Bars and hotels expect full houses; the consulting firm SporTUR estimates a direct impact of more than 2.5 million eurosin the local hospitality industry.
Behind the show lies a phenomenon that is difficult to stop. With 25 million practitioners in 110 countriesWith over 40,000 active courts, padel has become the fastest-growing sport on the planet. Its addictive power is legendary: one study puts the post-release return rate at92 %, that is, nine out of ten debutants are repeating. For San Sebastián clubs, the tournament could be the best membership attraction of the decade.
Local voices
“Bringing the Pro Padel League puts San Sebastián in a showcase for 100 countries,” he emphasizes. Iñaki Gabarain, Councilor for Sports, pointing out that the league’s broadcasts reach 300 million homes. Hospitality industry, for their part, are already rubbing their hands together: “July is the height of the season, but the PPL will give us a boost during the week and a high-spending visitor profile,” notes the ZiTiBerri association.
What the fan expects
- Fast and dramatic matches: The Golden Point guarantees a climax every few minutes.
- Real equality: The women’s result counts as much as the men’s for advancing to the next round.
- Closeness: Compact capacity, players strolling through the Fan Zone and signing sessions.
- Technology: Giant screen replays and real-time mobile stats.
“We want to reproduce the NBA courtside atmosphere, but on a padel court and with a San Sebastian accent,” Dorfman summarizes.
How to watch the Pro Padel League Donostia on TV and streaming
In Spain
Fans will be able to watch all matches live on Eurovision Sport, the European Broadcasting Union’s free OTT platform that offers the full signal for the entire continent, including our country. In addition, DAZNhas renewed the rights to the PPL and will broadcast each match on its app and website—with commentary options in Spanish or English—as part of its multi-sport package. For those who prefer on-demand content, Movistar Plus+has added a specific section (“Padel Pro League”) with summaries of each matchday and full matches on demand starting at midnight.
International coverage
Outside of Spain, the league maintains the wide range of audiovisual partners announced for 2024 and extended to 2025:
- EE. UU.– MSG Network and FOX US Español offer live broadcasts; CaffeineTV provides free streaming, and Game+ broadcasts the semifinals and finals live; Bally Sports offers delayed broadcasts.
- Canada– Game+ (live) and Bally Sports (delayed).
- Mexico– Free-to-air TV Azteca; Claro Sports covers all of Central and South America.
- Rest of the world – DAZN(more than 200 territories) and, as a universal sign, the official PPL YouTube channel, which will broadcast the six sessions from Donostia with international production and an interactive scoreboard.
The television channel will use 4K production with the new adidas track PPL High Competition 2025 and will feature bilingual audio. The broadcasts will begin 15 minutes before of each session (4:45 p.m. on Thursday; 9:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; 11:45 a.m. on Sunday) with a preview of analysis, interviews, and the warm-up camera at courtside. So, whether you’re in the stands at the Real Club de Tenis or watching the action from home, you won’t miss a single point of the first session. Pro Padel League San Sebastián of history.
Beyond the match: legacy and future
If there’s one thing that characterizes San Sebastián, it’s its ability to turn an event into a tradition. It happened with the Behobia-San Sebastián, the Clásica ciclismo, and the Zinemaldia. Now the challenge is for the Pro Padel League San Sebastián. Don’t be a one-time wonder. The PPL is considering expanding the parade to two editions and launching permanent clinics in schools in Gipuzkoa, while exploring the possibility of adding two new European franchises in 2026.
Practical guide
- How to get thereBus lines 5, 25, and 45 to the RCTSS; limited parking at La Concha.
- Accommodation: The organization has closed agreements with hotels in the downtown area and Antiguo (10% discount with codePPLDonostia).
- Pre- and post-match: pintxos in the Old Town, surfing in Zurriola or jazz at dusk in Kursaal.
- Merchandising: The official store will sell signed rackets and the ‘Donostia edition’ shirt, a mix of txuri-urdin and PPL gold.
Epilogue
Sport is always looking for new temples, and for four days in July, the cathedral of padel will be on the banks of La Concha.Pro Padel League San SebastiánIt won’t just bring impossible volleys and three-pointers; it will bring stories, business, tourism, and an invitation for the people of San Sebastián to take up the sport. Because perhaps the tournament’s greatest triumph won’t be seen on the scoreboard, but on those municipal courts, which, starting in August, will be more competitive than ever. There lies the true legacy of this adventure, which, like the perfect wave, is about to break.
See you in the stands. And, if you’re up for it, on the court.
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