Let me be honest with you. I’ve watched a lot of padel over the past few years — more than I probably should admit — and the current state of the professional game is something else entirely. The gap between the best and everyone else used to feel manageable. Right now it does not.
Here’s who’s running things in 2026, based on the official FIP rankings.
The Duo That’s Breaking the Sport
Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia are tied at the top with 19,800 FIP points each, and calling them dominant feels like an understatement. In 2024, the pair went on a 47-match winning streak — the longest in padel history. In 2025, they won 13 tournaments. Thirteen.
Coello is 23 years old. Twenty-three. He plays with the kind of confidence that takes most athletes a decade to develop, fast and aggressive and technically precise in a way that doesn’t look like effort. Tapia, the Argentine half of the pair, became the youngest player ever to win a World Padel Tour event at 19. His career win rate sits at 91.5 percent. His court coverage is the kind of thing you replay multiple times to understand what you just watched.
Together, they’re currently the most dominant partnership professional padel has ever seen. And they’re nowhere close to their peak.
The Only Pair That Can Actually Catch Them
Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto — nicknamed “Chingalán,” which is exactly as fun to say as it sounds — are sitting at 17,740 FIP points heading into the season. That’s roughly 2,500 behind Coello and Tapia, which in padel terms is close enough to matter.
Galán is a World Champion. He and Chingotto won the World Padel Championship in Kuwait, which isn’t a small thing. Chingotto brings explosive power and sharp net instincts, and after winning seven titles together in 2025, this pair enters 2026 genuinely hungry. Not performing hunger. Actually hungry.
If anyone is going to push the top pair this season, it’s them. Lowkey the most exciting rivalry in the sport right now.
The Rest of the Top Ten — And They’re No Joke
Juan Lebrón at number five is one of those players who makes you stop mid-conversation to watch a point. Known for explosive smashes and an aggressive baseline game, he’s teamed up with rising talent Leo Augsburger for 2026 and has been a top-five fixture for years. New partner, same level of terrifying.
Franco Stupaczuk at six is back alongside Mike Yanguas after their strong run at the end of 2024. Stupaczuk is the definition of consistent — all-court game, competitive mentality, someone who beats you before you realize what happened. Yanguas, now at number nine, is one of the most athletic young players on tour. His speed is the kind that makes experienced opponents recalibrate mid-match.
Paquito Navarro at seven is a legend. There is no other word for it. He’s been in the world top ten for over a decade. His shot variety and tactical intelligence keep him relevant in an era where the game has gotten dramatically faster and more physical.
Sanyo Gutiérrez at eight is the one I’d most want to watch if you’ve never seen professional padel before. Pure technique, elegant movement, an ability to read the game that borders on unsettling. A true padel artist — the term gets overused, but in his case it fits.
Javi Garrido rounds out the top ten at number ten. An Argentine powerhouse, physical and tactically sharp, the kind of player who can dismantle anyone on a given day. Completing the list is not a small thing when the list looks like this.
So Who Wins 2026?
Everything points toward Coello and Tapia defending their crown. The data, the momentum, the way they play — all of it says they’re still the team to beat. But “Chingalán” is going to make them work for every point. With 26 events on the 2026 Premier Padel calendar and points expiring after 52 weeks, the race stays open longer than people expect.
One thing I know for certain: this season is going to be one worth following. Even if you’re new to padel — especially if you’re new to padel — the professional game right now is a genuinely good reason to start paying attention.