The 4 best apps for a padel Mexicano
Four ways to run a Mexicano, with a two-court booking worked out for eight players and the ninth who says they can make it.
Format guidesBy Karl Heinrich LauriPublished 8 min read
For a standard Mexicano played to a fixed points total, I’d start with Padeliga. You can choose how the first round is drawn, set the pairing rule and copy the results into WhatsApp. If the courts are yours for exactly 90 minutes, I’d use PadelFormat and put the rounds on a clock. I run PadelFormat, and I’ve placed our tool second here.
Key takeaways
- Pick the pairing rule first. Standard rotates partners, Team keeps pairs together, and Mixicano puts one player from each of two groups on every pair.
- Eight players fill two courts. With nine players and eight rounds, eight people sit once and one plays every round.
- Confirm both results before you call the next round. In a Mexicano, a wrong score can put four people on the wrong court.
On this page
Padel Mexicano apps at a glance
| App | I’d use it for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Padeliga | Fixed points, a choice of pairing rules and a result you can take away | The free generator loses the session when you close the page. |
| 2. PadelFormat | A timed booking, with the rests and spare minutes shown before you start | Only the organiser edits scores on the device running the event. |
| 3. PadelLoop | Running the rounds from a phone while the club displays them on a big screen | The documented Mixicano setup asks for equal numbers of men and women. |
| 4. PadelFlow | Scoring at a club with poor reception, especially if you play there every week | Shared groups need an account. The documented format list omits Mixicano. |
1. Padeliga for a points night with your own pairing rule
Open Padeliga’s browser generator and switch the format to Mexicano. It’s free and you can run the one-off session on that page without signing in. I’d pick it if the group already plays to 24 points and someone cares about who starts where. You can draw round one at random or use the order in which you typed the names. From round two you can pair the first and fourth players in each group of four against the second and third, or use first and third against second and fourth. Agree which one you’re playing before the first ball.
In the browser check I pasted eight dummy names. The page put them on two courts and showed one round drawn out of seven. I entered 15 on one court and 13 on the other for the first pair on each. Each match had a 24-point total, so one entry per court was enough. The next-round button stayed disabled after the first court. After I entered the other result, I could draw round two. The page kept both rounds visible, and the groupings changed. There are buttons to copy for WhatsApp, download CSV and print. I checked the controls and the draw. Padeliga generator and instructions
The one-off generator keeps the session in the open tab. Send the table or download it before closing. With an odd group, its help also says the lowest-ranked players among those with the fewest rests sit first and that players miss out on scoring during the rest. If people finish with different match counts, decide whether you’ll compare points per match before the first round. Padeliga’s separate club app has its own workflow. The recommendation here is for the free browser page.
2. PadelFormat for a booking with a hard finish
The PadelFormat Mexicano generator is free in the browser, with no account. In Automatic setup, enter the players, courts, minutes and break between rounds. The preview shows how many rounds fit and the spread of matches per player. Automatic setup uses timed rounds. If you prefer a fixed points total, choose Custom setup.
Use Team Mexicano when players arrive in fixed pairs. The team table decides the next opponents, and whole teams rest if you have more pairs than the courts can take. You may see the same opponents again. For a coaching group split between regulars and newer players, I’d choose Mixicano and name the two groups accordingly. Each pair gets one player from each group and the results go into one individual table. For a standard Mexicano, the tool’s published rules give a resting player a points credit. In fixed-points play that’s half the match total. In timed play it’s the average scored by the players who were on court in that round. The credit doesn’t add a match played. PadelFormat setup and scoring rules
The spectator link is read-only. Choose who will collect the scores and keep the organiser’s device handy. The tool documents a correction flow for confirmed rounds. If you’ve already generated later rounds, it asks before removing them and draws the next round again from the corrected standings. I’d check the two scores aloud before sending anyone back through the gate. Once the next match has started, the group needs to agree what happens to it.
3. PadelLoop for a club screen
PadelLoop’s browser setup let me paste eight comma-separated names, choose Mexicano and generate a two-court opening round at 24 points. The scoring view showed separate controls for the two courts, alongside Share to big screen and a live-standings share control. If the club has a screen visible from both courts, put the draw there and keep the scoring phone with the organiser. I checked the controls and left sharing off.
PadelLoop documents a round clock, free scoring for timed play and CSV results export for its social formats. It offers Team Mexicano and Mixicano as well as the standard game. The Mixicano instructions describe an even split between men and women, so I’d check the setup first if your two groups are based on something else. Its pricing page lists the tournament tool and all formats as free during early access. PadelLoop formats and setup · PadelLoop pricing
4. PadelFlow for a club with poor reception
PadelFlow is the one from Johannes Horn, with a browser version and apps for iOS and Android. The developer says you can run and score a solo session offline, with results stored on the device and no account. Standard and fixed-team Mexicano are both listed. I’d open it and run a short practice round with the connection off before trusting it with a full booking. We checked the documentation and store listings for this comparison.
For a regular group, PadelFlow also documents a shared roster and results archive. You need an account for shared groups, and joining by code needs a connection. The playing session is free according to the product and store listings. I’d confirm the current terms for group features in the store you use. The product’s list of formats includes Team Mexicano and leaves out Mixicano. Pick another tool if every partnership must cross two groups. PadelFlow features · App Store listing
What I’d book for eight or nine players in 90 minutes
Say both courts are yours from 18:30 to 20:00 and warm-up has to fit inside the slot. I’d set seven 11-minute rounds with a minute between rounds. That’s 77 minutes of play plus six minutes of changeovers, leaving seven minutes. Use five for warm-up and keep two in hand for the final score and getting off court. PadelFormat’s eight-player preview offered seven 12-minute rounds with the same changeovers. That uses all 90 minutes. I’d shorten the rounds in Custom setup.
When the ninth player joins, one person has to sit each round. PadelFormat’s preview showed seven 12-minute rounds giving everyone six or seven matches. Eight 10-minute rounds used 87 minutes and gave everyone seven or eight matches. There are eight rests to share across nine people, so one person plays every round. The shorter plan leaves three minutes in total. If everybody wants exactly one rest, you need nine rounds. A custom nine-round plan at eight minutes each, with eight one-minute changes, uses 80 minutes. That leaves ten for warm-up and any delays. People get eight matches each, but those matches are short. These are booking calculations, with both courts running together.
For nine players I’d take the eight 10-minute rounds if we can warm up before the booking. If we can’t, I’d make the rounds a minute shorter and tell the group how the rests work. Whoever has the phone should ask both courts for the score as soon as the buzzer goes. Give the second court a name or number that matches the actual sign on the door.
Open the Mexicano generator and check your court time before you send the start time. If everyone is asking for the full fixture list now, read the Americano versus Mexicano comparison before choosing a format.
How we checked the apps
On 11 November 2026 we drew two rounds in Padeliga with dummy names, generated a first round in PadelLoop and checked the eight- and nine-player setup previews in PadelFormat. PadelFlow’s offline and group features come from its published documentation. We left live sharing off and did the checks at a desk.