How to Find Padel Players Anywhere You Travel
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I play padel in every country I go to. Here is how to find padel players wherever you land. Once you know the trick, padel turns out to be one of the easiest sports on earth to plug into as a traveler. You do not need a team, a season, or a club membership you paid for six months ago. You need a court, three other people, and about an hour.
Finding the court is the easy half. Finding three people to play with, in a city where you know nobody, is what stops most travelers. This is the method we use when we land somewhere new.
Not a padel player? Other sports travel well too; our guide to boxing while traveling shows how to find a gym in a new city.
Quick answer
Search for padel courts in the city, find the court's WhatsApp number, and ask to join their group chat. Be honest about your level and let the group place you, so your first game is with people around your standard.
Next steps
Best padel apps
Best padel shoes
Before your first session with strangers, our guides to how padel scoring works and padel levels explained cover the basics.
Why finding players is the harder half
A padel court is just turf behind glass until three other people stand on it with you. At home someone always knows someone who plays. As a traveler you have no circle yet. What we have learned, moving between countries for years, is that the players are almost always already organized, usually in a WhatsApp group. The trick is finding that group and getting added.
How to Find Padel Players: Step by Step
Step 1: search online for padel courts near me. A quick search in whatever city we are in turns up padel clubs, sports centers with a court or two, and sometimes hotels with a court. Google Maps is a good place to start, so land with mobile data working, for example with an Airalo eSIM.
Step 2: find the court's WhatsApp number. Most padel courts list a WhatsApp number somewhere, on their website, their Instagram, or their Google Maps listing. It is usually the number they use for bookings, not a general customer service line.
Step 3: message the number and ask to join their group chat. Keep it short: I am traveling, I would like to play a few times while I am in town, do you have a group chat I can join? Most courts run exactly this kind of group and happily add a player who is upfront about being new and passing through.
Step 4: be honest about your level. I tell them roughly where I stand (right now silver, moving toward gold) and let them place me. Overstate it and you get steamrolled; understate it and you spend the session underused.
Step 5: get added and let the group do the sorting. The best part. A well run court chat usually puts you in a level group, so from the first session you play with people around your standard. Introduce yourself briefly, then watch the chat for a day to see who organizes games.
The method in five steps
- Search online for padel courts near you.
- Find the court's WhatsApp number on its website, Instagram or Google Maps listing.
- Message it and ask if you can join their group chat.
- Give an honest sense of your level.
- Get added and let the group sort you into the right level group.
Why this beats just showing up
You could walk up to a court and ask to join. Sometimes that works, but courts are usually booked in advance by people who know each other, and joining a private booking is awkward for everyone. Through the WhatsApp group you use the same channel as the locals: just another name looking for a match. And because you are sorted into a level group, your first session is already with players around your standard.
Where this method does not work perfectly
Not every court runs an active group chat. Smaller courts, newer clubs and members-only places sometimes have no open group, or a dead one. No reply or no group? Move on to the next court rather than pushing.
Language can be a real barrier. In Spain, many of these group chats run entirely in Spanish. A translation app for your first message goes a long way, but do not expect every chat to switch to English for you.
A slow reply is normal, not a rejection. Court staff are often mid-session or running the desk when you message. Wait a day before following up, and follow up only once.
Being new means being a little patient in the group itself. Nobody owes you a game the moment you join. Watching the chat for a day before jumping in, rather than immediately asking to be slotted into the next match, tends to go over better.
Using booking apps as a backup, and as an addition
Booking apps work alongside this method. Playtomic is great for open matches that need a fourth player, especially in cities where strangers organize games directly in the app. We use both: the WhatsApp group for a regular crowd, an app for a single evening game at any club.
On Playtomic, a friendly open match lets anyone join and never changes levels, while a competitive one is limited to a level range (Playtomic help center, checked on 5 October 2026).
We go into more detail on the specific apps worth having on your phone, and what each one is actually good for, in our guide to 4 apps to book padel courts and find players while traveling.
Patterns worth knowing
- Countries with a mature padel scene, Spain especially, tend to have the most active and organized WhatsApp groups, simply because there are more courts and more regular players to fill them.
- Newer or smaller padel scenes, especially in parts of Asia, have fewer courts and smaller groups, which actually makes the WhatsApp approach even more useful, since there is less noise and the person who runs the court often knows exactly who is playing and when.
- Wherever you are, being upfront and specific in that first message, who you are, that you are traveling, roughly your level, gets a far better response than a vague "hi, can I join."
Be upfront and specific in that first message: who you are, that you are traveling, roughly your level. That gets a far better response than a vague "hi, can I join."
A few etiquette basics for joining a new group as a stranger
- Introduce yourself briefly, then watch the chat for a day to see who organizes games before asking to join one
- Confirm attendance if you say you are coming to a session, a last-minute no-show burns trust fast in a small group
- Pay your share of the court straight away, usually via the app or a quick transfer
- If the conversation is in a language you do not speak well, a short line in that language, even imperfect, goes a long way
Gear you'll need
A group chat gets you a game, not the right shoes for artificial turf or a racket you can control. Before your first session, check our guides to the best padel rackets for beginners and travel and the best padel shoes for travelers. And check that your travel insurance covers sports like padel before you play abroad; compare plans such as SafetyWing.
Keep exploring the padel series
- How Padel Scoring Works: A Simple Guide for Beginners
- Padel Levels Explained: Playtomic Levels and Other Rating Systems
- 4 Apps to Book Padel Courts and Find Players While Traveling
Before you go
Playing abroad? Land with data so WhatsApp and Maps work from the airport, and make sure your travel insurance covers you on court.
FAQ
How do I find a court's WhatsApp number if it is not on their website?
Check their Google Maps listing and Instagram profile first, most courts that run an active WhatsApp group link it or mention it in one of those two places. If neither works, a direct message on Instagram asking for it usually gets a quick answer.
Is it weird to ask a padel court if I can join their WhatsApp group as a total stranger?
No, it is a normal request for these groups, especially at courts used to a mix of regulars and traveling players. Being upfront that you are new and passing through, rather than pretending otherwise, tends to get a better response than being vague.
What if the court doesn't have a group chat at all?
Some do not, especially smaller or members-only clubs. If that happens, move to the next court on your list rather than pushing, and lean more on booking apps for that particular city.
Do I need to speak the local language to join a group chat?
It helps, but it is not a hard requirement. A short, honest introduction message, even with imperfect grammar or a translation app's help, is usually enough to get a friendly response.
How fast can I actually get a game using this method?
It varies, but in a city with an active padel scene, a few days from your first message to your first match is realistic. Smaller scenes can take longer simply because there are fewer sessions running.
Should I mention my skill level when I first message a court?
Yes, and be honest about it. Courts and groups use that information to place you with players around your own standard, which makes your first session with strangers far more enjoyable for everyone involved.
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