Padel scoring rules explained: points, deuce, golden point and tiebreaks

The short version

• A game goes 15, 30, 40, game.
• At 40-40 (deuce), one of three formats applies: advantage, star point or golden point.
• The first pair to win 6 games with a lead of 2 wins the set.
• At 6-6 you play a tiebreak to 7 points.
• A match is best of three sets.

These rules come from the FIP Rules of Padel, the version that applies from 1 January 2026. The FIP is the International Padel Federation. Clubs and leagues can choose between some of these options, so ask before you play.

How points work in a game

Each pair starts at 0, which is called love.

If both pairs reach three points, the score is 40-40. That is called deuce, and what happens next depends on the format.

What happens at deuce: three formats

The FIP rules give three options. Each match uses one.

Advantage

Win the point at deuce and you have advantage. Win the next point too and the game is yours. Lose it and the score goes back to deuce. This can go on for a long time.

Star point

Star point is the newest of the three. It starts the same way as advantage, but it can’t go on forever:

1. At 40-40 the score is deuce. Win the next point for advantage.
2. If the pair with advantage loses the next point, it’s deuce again. Win the next point for a second advantage.
3. If that advantage is lost too, it’s deuce for the third time. The next point is the star point, and whoever wins it wins the game.

The 2026 Premier Padel rulebook and the Cupra FIP Tour rulebook use star point. That doesn’t mean your club does.

Golden point

At 40-40 you play one deciding point. Whoever wins it wins the game. There is no advantage.

Who receives the deciding point?

This applies to both golden point and star point. The receiving pair chooses to receive on the right or the left side of the court. The players can’t swap positions for this point, so the player already on that side receives it. In mixed matches, the receiver has to be the same sex as the server.

How sets and matches work

The first pair to win 6 games wins the set, as long as they lead by 2 games. So 6-4 ends the set, but 6-5 doesn’t.

• At 5-5, you play on. 7-5 wins the set.
• At 6-6, you play a tiebreak. The set ends 7-6.

A match is the best of three sets, so the first pair to win two sets wins.

Some events shorten or change this. The FIP rules allow these options, so check before the match which one applies:

• Third set with no tiebreak: at 6-6 in the third set you keep playing until one pair leads by 2 games.
• Mini set: first to 4 games with a lead of 2, and a tiebreak at 4-4.
• Tiebreak to decide the match: at one set each, you play a tiebreak to 7 instead of a third set.
• Super tiebreak: the same, but to 10 points with a lead of 2. You’ll also see this called a match tiebreak.

How a tiebreak works

In a tiebreak you count in plain numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3 and so on. The first pair to reach 7 points with a lead of 2 wins the tiebreak and the set. If needed, it continues until one pair has that lead. So 8-6 and 11-9 are possible scores.

Who serves:

1. The player whose turn it is in the set’s order serves one point, from the right.
2. The other pair serves the next two points, starting from the left.
3. After that, each pair serves two points in a row until the tiebreak ends, keeping the same serving order.

Changing ends: you change ends every 6 points.

The next set: it starts with a serve from the pair that did not start the tiebreak.

Serving and changing ends in a normal game

• You serve from the right for the first point of a game, into the box diagonally across. After each point you serve from the other side.
• You get two attempts for each point.
• If the serve touches the net and lands in the correct box, it’s a let and you repeat that serve, unless the ball then hits the fence before its second bounce.
• Before each set, each pair can choose which player serves first. That order then stays the same for the whole set.
• You change ends after every odd game of a set: the 1st, the 3rd, the 5th and so on.

What about Americano?

Americano and Mexicano are social formats that aren’t in the FIP scoring rule. You usually play to an agreed number of points, and the organiser sets the details. Ask them before you start.

Keeping track of the score

The hardest part is often remembering the score after a long rally. A watch app can do that for you. Our pick is Countoo, which we make. It counts padel with advantage and a tiebreak at 6-6. It doesn’t support golden point or star point, so it only fits matches played with advantage.

Read how to track your padel score on Apple Watch, or see other apps that do support golden and star point.

Sources

Checked on 31 October 2026.

• FIP Rules of Padel, rules 1, 5, 6 and 9, from the FIP documents page. The golden point text says the winner of that point “wins the match”. The rest of the rule and the Premier Padel rulebook show this means the game.
• Premier Padel Official Rulebook, men’s tournaments, version 2026/2, section 5.2.4
• Cupra FIP Tour Official Rulebook 2026