Book onto a padel social in Manchester and you'll see words like Americano and Mexicano on the listing, usually with zero explanation. Everyone else nods knowingly. You panic-Google it in the car park. Let's fix that. These are just formats for organising a group of players into games, and once you know the four main ones, you'll know exactly what you're signing up for.
Why formats exist at all
Padel is doubles, so a social with, say, twelve people needs a system to decide who plays with whom, who plays against whom, and how you crown a winner at the end. A good format keeps everyone playing, mixes people up, and makes sure the games stay competitive. That's all these are. They exist so nobody sits out for an hour or gets stuck in a mismatch all night.
Americano: the friendliest one
Americano is the classic social format and the best starting point for beginners. You rotate partners every round, so over the course of an evening you'll partner with lots of different people and play against most of the group too.
Scoring is by points, not games. Each round is played to a set number, commonly 16, 24 or 32 points, and crucially every point you personally win counts towards your own running total. So even if your partner for that round is having a shocker, the points you win still bank for you. At the end, the person with the most individual points wins. Because you're constantly reshuffled, one bad partner never sinks your night, which is exactly why it feels so relaxed and welcoming.
Mexicano: Americano with brains
Mexicano works on the same points-based, individual-scoring idea, but with a clever twist: the pairings for each round are decided by the current standings. After round one, the software or organiser ranks everyone, then matches players to create balanced games, often pairing the top-ranked player with a lower-ranked one against a similar combination.
The effect is that as the night goes on, you drift towards playing people at your own level, and the games get tighter and more meaningful. It rewards consistency over a whole evening rather than one lucky round. Mexicano is brilliant, but it's slightly better once you've got a social or two under your belt, simply because the shifting matchups can feel busy for a total first-timer. If you want help finding your level first, our coaches page lists people running beginner clinics.
King of the court
King of the court is faster and more competitive, built around a "top" court that everyone wants to reach. Win your game and you move up towards the king's court. Lose and you drop down. Winners rise, losers fall, and the aim is to end the session sitting on the top court as king.
It's a great laugh and has real jeopardy to it, but it can be a touch brutal if there's a wide spread of abilities, because the strong players tend to camp on the top court while others yo-yo below. Best enjoyed with a group of roughly similar standard.
Round-robin
The round-robin is the most straightforward. Fixed pairs play a series of short matches against every other pair in turn. You keep the same partner throughout, which is ideal if you've come with a mate and want to play together all night. Results are tallied across all the matches and the pair with the best record wins. It's less about mingling and more about competing as a settled team, so it suits people who already have a regular partner.
So which should a beginner pick?
Start with an Americano. It's forgiving, sociable, mixes you with everyone, and no single result defines your evening. Once you're comfortable, a Mexicano is the natural next step because it'll nudge you towards well-matched games and push your play. King of the court is a brilliant occasional format when the group's evenly matched, and a round-robin is the one to book when you and a partner want to stick together and just play.
Whichever you choose, the underlying point is the same: these formats exist to get you more games with more people, which is the entire joy of social padel. Check our events page to see what's running near you, and don't overthink the label on the listing, they're all a good night out.
FAQ
What's the difference between Americano and Mexicano?
Both rotate partners and score by individual points. In an Americano the pairings follow a fixed rotation, while in a Mexicano they're set by current standings, so games get more evenly matched as the night goes on.
Which format is best for beginners?
Americano. You rotate through lots of partners, every point you win counts for you personally, and no single bad round ruins your evening. It's the most relaxed and sociable option.
How does scoring work in an Americano?
Each round is played to a set number of points, often 16, 24 or 32. Every point you personally win adds to your own running total, and the player with the most points at the end wins.
What is king of the court?
A ladder-style format where winning moves you up towards the top court and losing drops you down. The aim is to finish sitting on the top court as king. It's most fun with evenly matched players.
Can I keep the same partner all night?
Yes, choose a round-robin. Fixed pairs play short matches against every other pair, so you stay with your partner throughout. It's ideal if you've come with a mate.