A new national competition circuit for British padel players over 35 has just completed its inaugural season – and very few casual players seem to know it exists.
The UK PADEL Masters Series isn’t a pro tour. There are no prize purses, no wildcard selectors, no spectator arenas. It’s a structured national competition for club-level players of a certain age, culminating in a two-day finals weekend where pairs from across the country compete for titles across six age categories. The 2025–26 finals took place at Padel Hub Southampton on 7–8 March 2026. Twelve pairs were crowned champions. If you missed it, here’s what it is and how to enter next season.
What is the UK PADEL Masters Series?
A national competition for British padel pairs aged 35 and over, run by UK PADEL across six age categories with qualifying rounds and a two-day national finals.
The UK PADEL Masters Series is a national competition for British padel pairs aged 35 and over. It’s organised by UK PADEL (formerly UKPE) – the governing body for grassroots and community padel in Britain and Ireland, distinct from the LTA.
The 2025–26 series was its inaugural season. The format runs through autumn and winter, with qualifying rounds held at venues across the UK (and, in the case of Round 4, abroad – more on that below). The top pairs from each qualifying round advance to a two-day national finals event.
Mark Ayers, UK PADEL’s Director of Events, described it as “the competition our Masters players have been waiting for.” CEO Nick Baker called it “an exciting new chapter” aimed at developing Masters pathways toward national and international representation.
UK PADEL vs the LTA: who runs it?
UK PADEL runs the Masters Series – separate from the LTA, which runs its own GB Seniors Tour starting at Over 40. The two systems are independent.
UK PADEL and the LTA are separate organisations. The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) governs tennis and a significant portion of competitive padel in England. UK PADEL is a separate grassroots governing body covering padel across Britain and Ireland – the same body that runs the Four Nations Championship and the competitive domestic calendar.
The Masters Series belongs to UK PADEL’s competition programme. The LTA runs a separate competition for older players – the GB Seniors Tour – which starts at Over 40. The two systems are independent, with different entry requirements, ranking structures, and competition formats.
The six age categories
The Masters Series has six age categories for men and women separately:
- Over 35
- Over 40
- Over 45
- Over 50
- Over 55
- Over 60
That’s 12 title categories in total. The 70+ category is not yet LTA-sanctioned as of the inaugural season, but the series otherwise covers a wide span of ages. With 50% female participation at the 2026 finals, the draw is clearly broad – club-level players across the full age range, men and women in roughly equal numbers.
How the qualifying rounds work
Each qualifying round runs with 12 pairs per age category, divided into four groups of three for a round-robin stage. Pairs play everyone in their group, then the top pairs advance to semi-finals and a final.
The winners and runners-up from each qualifying event qualify automatically for the national finals. If you win your qualifying event but can’t commit to the finals date, your semi-final slot passes to the next pair in line – so confirming availability before you enter matters.
The 2025–26 season ran four qualifying rounds:
- Round 1: Bristol (October 2025)
- Round 2: Fleet (November 2025) – 160 players across categories
- Round 3: Harrogate (January 2026)
- Round 4: Casa del Padel, Torre-Pacheco, Murcia, Spain (February 2026)
Round 4 in Spain is worth pausing on. This series can legitimately double as a padel trip. Casa del Padel in Torre-Pacheco, Murcia, is one of the best padel facilities in Europe. Playing a UK national qualifier there is an unusual combination of competitive and leisure that the series has apparently leaned into from the start.
Round 2’s 160 players is a significant number by UK padel competition standards. This is not a niche event.
Who can enter – eligibility in plain English
British passport required. Fixed partner throughout. You and your partner must both meet the age threshold for your chosen category.
To enter the UK PADEL Masters Series:
- You must hold a British passport
- You must have a fixed partner who also holds a British passport – the same partner throughout qualifying and finals
- You must meet the age threshold for your chosen category (e.g., both players 35+ for the Over 35 draw)
- LTA rankings are used for seedings, so having an LTA Advantage account and some ranking data will affect your draw position – but is not a condition of entry
The entry process for the 2025–26 season ran through ukpadel.org. Because the site is currently bot-protected and difficult to navigate, check it directly for 2026–27 season details. The format and entry timing are expected to follow a similar pattern to the inaugural year.
The 2026 series in numbers
- 4 qualifying rounds across 3 countries (UK and Spain)
- 160+ players at Round 2 alone
- 12 title categories (6 age groups × men’s and women’s)
- 12 winning pairs at the March finals
- 50% female participation at the finals
- Finals venue: Padel Hub Southampton, 7–8 March 2026
How to find the next qualifying event
The 2025–26 season has concluded. For the 2026–27 season, check ukpadel.org – the schedule, qualifying venues, and entry process will be posted there. Given the inaugural series included a round in Spain, it’s reasonable to expect the format to remain broadly similar.
If you’re on social media, following UK PADEL’s accounts will be the fastest way to catch announcements when 2026–27 opens for entry.
Is the level right for you?
The 2026 finals drew competitive club players, with 50% female participation. If you play regularly and want structured national competition, this is probably the right level.
This is the question that goes unanswered everywhere else, so here’s a direct attempt.
The competitors at the 2026 finals were described by organisers as “competitive but not elite.” The series is designed for club-level players who want more than a club ladder – a structured national competition with a real finals event and a title at the end. That’s different from the World Padel Tour or Premier Padel. It’s also different from a casual Americano.
The 50% female participation and the breadth of age categories (six of them, across a 25-year age span) suggest the series is drawing from the full spectrum of competitive club players, not from a narrow pool of semi-pros. If you play regularly, enter local tournaments occasionally, and want something with more weight than a club competition, this is probably the right level.
If you’ve never entered a competitive padel event and the idea feels daunting, the club social ladder is a more accessible starting point – build your competitive match experience there first, then look at the Masters Series once you know what your level is in a head-to-head format.
How it compares to other over-35 padel competitions
There are a few other competition formats relevant to older UK padel players:
GB Seniors Tour (LTA) – starts at Over 40, run by the LTA. Uses a different entry and ranking system to the Masters Series. This is the main alternative for players 40+ who want a structured national competition.
UK PADEL Four Nations – national team competition with age-group categories (O40, O50, O60). Selected, not entered individually. A different tier of competition – you’re representing your country, not entering as a pair.
Legends Padel Tour – for players Over 59. Sold out its first two events, which is a strong signal that demand at the older end of the age spectrum is running well ahead of supply. The Masters Series Over 55 and Over 60 categories address the same demographic within a national qualifying structure.
County championships – the 2024 Over 50s county championship was described as “the largest ever age-group padel tournament held in the UK.” County-level competition remains the entry point before national-level events like the Masters Series.
The Masters Series sits between county/club competition and national team selection. It’s the middle tier that UK padel has been missing, and the inaugural season suggests it’s filling that gap.
For the full UK competitive calendar, see our Four Nations preview for context on how the domestic competition structure fits together, and padel outside London for the regional scene where most qualifying events take place.