Levels · Portugal
What padel category am I?
Your level is not an opinion about your game. It is a row number in a public table, and here is the table.
Your category is not an opinion about how you play. In Portugal it is a row number in a public table, and the table is in a federation document most players have never opened.
The grid, as the regulation writes it
The Federação Portuguesa de Padel sorts every licensed player into six levels by position in the national ranking. Not by how you look on court, not by what your club calls you — by the number next to your name.
| Level | Men | Women | May also enter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 – 64 | 1 – 56 | Nothing. This level only. |
| 2 | 65 – 250 | 57 – 150 | Level 1 |
| 3 | 251 – 500 | 151 – 300 | Levels 2, 1 |
| 4 | 501 – 750 | 301 – 450 | Levels 3, 2, 1 |
| 5 | 751 – 1000 | 451 – 600 | Levels 4, 3, 2, 1 |
| 6 | 1001 – last | 601 – last | Levels 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 |
The rule that catches everybody
You can enter a harder category than your own. You can never enter an easier one. The regulation says it in one line and gives its own example: a player at M3 may play M2, and the reverse is not possible.
Read that again with the numbers in front of you, because it is the opposite of how people talk. "I will start in M6 and work up" is not a plan — M6 is where you begin if you are outside the top thousand, and the only direction the rules let you move on entry day is towards stronger players. Your level improves by your ranking improving, which happens by playing, not by choosing.
One more line from the same page: you cannot play in two categories at the same time. Entering the Absoluto draw and the Veterano draw of one tournament is not an option.
How the number is actually made
The ranking is not a rating somebody assigns. It is arithmetic, and knowing the arithmetic tells you how to move.
- What counts
- Your best 14 tournaments from the national calendar, plus the National Championship, plus the Regional
- Over what window
- A rolling 12 months — points drop off on the anniversary of the tournament
- When it moves
- Every week, overnight Monday into Tuesday
- Veterans and youth
- Ten counting tournaments instead of fourteen
Three consequences nobody tells a new player.
- Your fifteenth tournament replaces your worst, not your last. Beyond fourteen, the weakest results are dropped. Playing badly costs you nothing except the entry fee.
- Points expire on a schedule you can read. A good result last March stops counting next March. If your ranking slid without you playing worse, that is why.
- Withdrawing is not free, but it is survivable. A justified withdrawal gives you the points of the previous round. An unjustified one gives you zero.
What if you have no ranking at all
This is the question every first-timer has, and the honest answer is that the regulation we read does not spell it out. What it does say is that level 6 runs from position 1001 to the last player on the list. No points means no position above anybody, which in practice puts you at the bottom, which is level 6.
We are telling you that as an inference and not as a quotation, because it is one. Before your first entry, ask the organiser which draw they will put you in. They answer this question every week.
What the numbers on a tournament poster mean
You will see a tournament advertised as a 1.000, 2.000, 5.000, 10.000, 15.000 or 20.000. That is its class — the weight it carries in the ranking — and it is a different axis from the level. A 2.000 is defined by prize money: a minimum of €2,000 in Absolutos and €1,000 in Veteranos.
So a poster reading "2.000 · M5" is telling you two separate things: how much the result is worth, and who is allowed in. People read the first and ignore the second, then turn up and find they are not eligible.
Three ways people get this wrong
- Treating the level as a skill badge. It is a position in a queue. A good player who stopped entering tournaments for a year drifts down the list without getting worse, and a persistent one climbs by showing up.
- Pairing without checking. A pair is limited by the higher- ranked of the two. Partnering somebody two levels above you does not get them into your draw; it gets you into theirs, if you are allowed.
- Reading last season's table. The federation revises this regulation. The bands here are from the Regulamento Geral in force from 1 January 2024, and the ranking itself moves every Tuesday morning. Check the current document before you enter anything that matters.
Where this leaves you
If you are reading this because you want to enter something, the categories are the easy part: find your position, read the band, enter that level or higher. The harder part is the first draw, which is why Open / 001 runs M6, M5, F6 and F5 — the four bands where most people actually are.
And if the honest answer is that you do not yet have a ranking at all, that is not a problem to solve before playing. It is the thing playing solves. The clubs in the five we play at all run internal boards, and a coach — if you decide you want one — will get you to a first tournament faster than another season of Tuesdays.
Questions people actually ask
How do I find out my padel level in Portugal?
Look up your position in the official FPP ranking, which is published on the federation's site and updated every week overnight from Monday to Tuesday, then read the band. Men: 1-64 is M1, 65-250 M2, 251-500 M3, 501-750 M4, 751-1000 M5, 1001 and beyond M6. Women: 1-56 F1, 57-150 F2, 151-300 F3, 301-450 F4, 451-600 F5, 601 and beyond F6.
Can I play in a lower category to win more matches?
No. The regulation is explicit and gives its own example: an M3 player may play M2, and the reverse is not possible. You may always enter a harder level than your own and never an easier one. You also cannot play two categories at the same tournament.
What category am I if I have never played a tournament?
The regulation we read does not spell this out. It does say level 6 runs from position 1001 to the last player on the list, and with no points you are not above anybody — which in practice means level 6. Treat that as an inference, not a quotation, and ask the organiser which draw they will enter you in. They answer this every week.
How is the FPP ranking calculated?
It is the sum of your best 14 tournaments from the national calendar over a rolling twelve months, plus the National Championship and the Regional. Veterans and youth count ten instead of fourteen. Play more than fourteen and the worst results drop out, so a bad tournament costs you only the entry fee.
What does 2.000 or 5.000 mean on a tournament poster?
That is the class — how much the result weighs in the ranking — and it is a separate axis from the level. A 2.000 is defined by prize money: at least EUR 2,000 in Absolutos and EUR 1,000 in Veteranos. A poster reading \u201c2.000 \u00b7 M5\u201d tells you what the result is worth and who is allowed to enter.