In Doha draws announced, teams hit the courts starting tomorrow

Thirty-two teams for a week of thrilling matches on the court and a great show for padel fans worldwide. The 2024 edition of the FIP World Padel Championships officially kicked off on Sunday in Doha, Qatar, with the draws held at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, attended by, among others, the president of the International Padel Federation, Luigi Carraro, and Tariq Darwish Zainal, secretary general of the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) and tournament director. Starting tomorrow, the 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams will compete in the tournament’s first phase, with four groups of four teams each for both men and women.

On the first day, each group’s first team will face the third, while the second team will play the fourth. Matches will be “ties” played best of three, with each match best of three sets. The top two teams in each group will qualify to compete for positions from first to eighth, while the countries ranked third and fourth will play for positions from ninth to sixteenth.

MEN Opening Group A will be defending champions Argentina, with Tapia and Chingotto, drawn alongside Belgium, European runners-up Italy, and the United States. Group B kicks off with Spain’s “dream team” aiming for a comeback after silver in 2022, joined by Paraguay, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates. After a bronze finish three years ago, France is trying again, starting in Group C with Chile, Uruguay, and Qatar. Group D promises to be exciting, as it was commented that “every match will feel like a final,” with Portugal (bronze medalists at the European Championships last July), Brazil, the Netherlands, and Sweden set to battle it out.

Men’s draw

Group A: Argentina, Belgium, Italy, USA

Group B: Spain, Paraguay, Mexico, UAE

Group C: France, Chile, Uruguay, Qatar

Group D: Portugal, Brazil, Netherlands, Sweden

WOMEN The women’s draw opens with Spain, champions in 2022 and European champions in 2024, leading Group A with Germany, Brazil, and Chile. After a second-place finish in Dubai, Argentina is the top seed in Group B, joined by Portugal, the United States, and Egypt. Italy, aiming once more for a podium finish, is in Group C with Sweden, Uruguay, and Japan; Group D is also highly anticipated, as four European teams — Belgium, France, Netherlands, and Denmark — will compete to pass to the next stage.

Women’s draw

Group A: Spain, Germany, Brazil, Chile

Group B: Argentina, Portugal, USA, Egypt

Group C: Italy, Sweden, Uruguay, Japan

Group D: Belgium, France, Netherlands, Denmark

CARRARO “We are in for a fantastic tournament with 32 teams that will keep us thrilled”, commented FIP President Luigi Carraro after the draw. “It’s true that Spain and Argentina are still the favorites, but it’s also true that over the last two years, the other national teams have grown tremendously, and now they’re all at an amazing level. This will be an incredible edition”.