Sign up for padel in Manchester and you will quickly meet a whole vocabulary of formats. Americano one week, a box league the next, a knockout draw at the weekend. Each one shapes how you play, who you play with and how competitive the evening feels. Here is a friendly guide to the common ones and who they suit best.
Americano
The Americano is the classic social format. You play short games, usually to a set number of points such as 16 or 24, and partners change every round. You rack up points as an individual across the night, and at the end the person with the most points wins.
Because you mix with everyone, an Americano is brilliant for meeting people and for evenings where the standard is mixed. Nobody is stuck with the same partner all night, and a weaker round rarely ruins your evening. It suits beginners, socialisers and anyone who wants a relaxed but competitive couple of hours.
Mexicano
The Mexicano is the Americano's more competitive cousin. It also scores you as an individual and changes partners, but the pairings are decided by the current standings rather than a fixed schedule. The leader is usually paired with a lower-ranked player and matched against the second and third, so the games stay tight as the night goes on.
The Mexicano suits players who want a bit more edge and a format that rewards consistency. Because we have a full comparison already, read our Americano versus Mexicano guide to decide which you prefer.
Round robin
In a round robin, every pair or player plays every other in the group. Results go into a table, and the pair with the best record finishes top. There is no early exit, so you get a guaranteed number of matches whatever happens.
Round robins suit fixed pairs who want plenty of court time and a fair overall result. They are common in small tournaments and group stages, and they reward the pair that performs most consistently rather than the one that peaks on the day.
Knockout and draw tournaments
A knockout, or draw, is the traditional tournament bracket. Win and you advance, lose and you are out. Pairs are seeded into a draw, and the winners meet in later rounds until a final decides the champions.
Knockouts suit competitive pairs chasing a title and the buzz of a decisive match. The downside is that an early loss means a short day, so many events pair a group stage with a knockout to guarantee everyone a few games first.
Box leagues
A box league splits players or pairs into small groups, or boxes, of similar standard. Within your box you play everyone over a set period, often a few weeks, arranging matches at your own convenience. Top finishers move up a box for the next round and those at the bottom move down.
Box leagues are ideal if you want ongoing, flexible competition against people of your level without committing to a single evening. They reward regular players and let you climb gradually as you improve.
Ladders
A ladder ranks players or pairs in a list. You challenge someone a rung or two above you, and if you win you swap places. Over time the strongest rise to the top.
Ladders suit self-motivated players who like arranging their own matches and tracking progress over a season. They are low pressure, run continuously and let you play as often or as little as you like.
Standard best-of-three matches
The format the professionals play is the standard match, decided over the best of three sets, each set played to six games with a tie-break at 6-6. This is what you will play in most competitive fixtures and serious club matches.
Best-of-three suits fixed pairs who want a full test of stamina and tactics. If you are new to how sets and games work, our beginner scoring guide and complete rules guide will get you match-ready.
Which should you choose?
If you are new or want to meet people, start with an Americano. If you want a competitive social with more edge, try a Mexicano. If you play as a settled pair, look for round robins, knockouts or best-of-three fixtures. And if you want ongoing, flexible play at your own level, join a box league or a ladder. You will find all of these across the city, and many are listed on our events page. A coach can help you prepare for any of them, and you can find one through our coaches page. New terms along the way are all explained in our glossary.
FAQ
What is the difference between an Americano and a Mexicano?
Both score you as an individual and rotate partners, but an Americano follows a fixed schedule while a Mexicano sets the pairings by current standings, keeping games closer as the night goes on.
Which format is best for beginners?
The Americano is usually the friendliest. Games are short, you change partners often and the atmosphere is social, so a mixed standard is welcome and one bad round will not spoil your evening.
What is a box league?
A box league groups players of similar ability into small boxes. You play everyone in your box over a few weeks and arrange matches to suit you, moving up or down a box based on your results.
How long is a standard padel match?
A standard match is best of three sets, each to six games with a tie-break at 6-6. Length varies, but most club matches take somewhere between forty-five minutes and ninety minutes.