Padel Americano – rules and how to run a tournament
Americano is the most popular social padel format: you change partner every round, and the player with the most points at the end wins. Here are the rules and an easy way to run it.
Open Padel Turnering (free)How Americano works
- Everyone plays individually. Each round you get a new partner and new opponents.
- Each match is played to a fixed total of points (for example 24) or first-to-X.
- A team's points count for both players. After the last round your points are added up.
- Most points wins. If tied, use wins or point difference as a tie-break.
What you need
- Players: at least 4. Ideally 8, 12 or 16 (multiples of four).
- Courts: one per four players. Fewer courts means more breaks.
- Time: 12-20 minutes per round. 7-8 rounds take about 2 hours.
Example standings
| Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anna | 14 | 10 | 13 | 37 |
| Ben | 14 | 12 | 9 | 35 |
| Carla | 10 | 12 | 13 | 35 |
Run it with the app
Padel Turnering builds the schedule, assigns courts and breaks, adds up the points and shows the leaderboard as you go. It supports timed rounds and exports the result as PDF, Excel or CSV. No login, and it works offline.
See also Mexicano, where teams are built from the leaderboard.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Americano?
Typically 8 on 2 courts (or 4 on 1 court), but it works from 4 players upwards. When the number isn't a multiple of four, 1-3 players sit out each round and the breaks are shared as evenly as possible.
How many points do you play to in an Americano match?
You decide. Many groups play 24 points in total per match (for example 13-11), others 16, 21 or 32. Alternatively play first to a fixed number, such as 12, or a fixed time per round.
How do you win an Americano?
Each player adds up the points their team scored in every round. The player with the most points in total wins.
What is the difference between Americano and Mexicano?
In Americano partners and opponents rotate on a fixed schedule regardless of the standings. In Mexicano the teams are built from the current leaderboard, so matches get closer as the event goes on.
Can you play Americano with a fixed partner?
Yes. In the fixed-partner variant each pair plays against the other pairs instead of changing partner every round.