Americano
Most play time- Rounds
- 8 × 12 min
- Estimated total
- 1 h 50 min
- Time left
- 10 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per player
- 8 rounds
- Least court time
- 1 h 36 min
- Every round is drawn before play starts, rotating partners as widely as the rounds allow.
Padel tournament planner
Tell us how many players, courts and minutes you have. You get every format that works, how long each takes and how much everyone plays. Then open the generator with your settings filled in. Free, no account.
Formats for your booking
Marked “Most play time”: fits your booking and gives the least-played player the most court time, about 96 minutes. Timed rounds have a fixed length; set-match minutes come from your estimate, and real sets run shorter or longer. Knockouts rank lower because knocked-out teams stop playing, not because the format is worse.
Mexicano
Most play time- Rounds
- 8 × 12 min
- Estimated total
- 1 h 50 min
- Time left
- 10 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per player
- 8 rounds
- Least court time
- 1 h 36 min
- After the first round, partners and opponents come from the live standings, so the exact pairings are decided as you play.
King / Queen of the Court (rotating)
Most play time- Rounds
- 8 × 12 min
- Estimated total
- 1 h 50 min
- Time left
- 10 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per player
- 8 rounds
- Least court time
- 1 h 36 min
- Everyone plays every round. Winners move up a court, losers move down; placings come from the last round played.
Team Americano
Most play time- Rounds
- 8 × 12 min
- Estimated total
- 1 h 50 min
- Time left
- 10 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per team
- 8 rounds
- Least court time
- 1 h 36 min
- Every team meets every other team at least once.
Team Mexicano
Most play time- Rounds
- 8 × 12 min
- Estimated total
- 1 h 50 min
- Time left
- 10 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per team
- 8 rounds
- Least court time
- 1 h 36 min
- After the first round, opponents come from the live standings, so the exact match-ups are decided as you play.
King / Queen of the Court (fixed pairs)
Most play time- Rounds
- 8 × 12 min
- Estimated total
- 1 h 50 min
- Time left
- 10 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per team
- 8 rounds
- Least court time
- 1 h 36 min
- Everyone plays every round. Winners move up a court, losers move down; placings come from the last round played.
Group stage + knockout
Fits- Matches
- 8 in 3 waves
- Estimated total
- 1 h 34 min
- Time left
- 26 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per team
- 1–3 matches
- Least court time (estimate)
- about 30 min
- 4 groups of 2; the group winners (4 teams) go into the knockout, the rest finish after the groups.
- Includes a third-place match.
- Times are estimates for one-set matches; a long set pushes everything back.
Other legal group layouts
- 2 groups, winners through: 2 h 6 min
- 2 groups, top two through, third-place match: 2 h 38 min
- 2 groups, top two through: 2 h 38 min
- 4 groups, winners through: 1 h 34 min
Knockout
Fits- Matches
- 8 in 3 waves
- Estimated total
- 1 h 34 min
- Time left
- 26 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per team
- 1–3 matches
- Least court time (estimate)
- about 30 min
- Single elimination: a team is out after its first loss, except that the two losing semi-finalists play once more for third place.
- A team that loses its first match plays only once; a team that reaches the final plays up to 3.
- Times are estimates for one-set matches; a long set pushes everything back.
Round Robin
1 h 42 min over- Matches
- 28 in 7 waves
- Estimated total
- 3 h 42 min
- Over budget
- 1 h 42 min
- Courts used
- 4 of 4
- Per team
- 7 matches
- Least court time (estimate)
- about 3 h 30 min
- Every team plays every other team once: 7 matches each.
- Times are estimates for one-set matches; a long set pushes everything back.
A complete round robin needs about 222 minutes. It is never shortened, so you need more time, more courts or shorter matches.
Mixed Americano and Mixicano
These pair one player from each of two groups, such as men and women. The planner can’t tell group membership from a head count, so it doesn’t calculate them. Open the setup and enter both groups:
How to use it
- 1. Enter your numbers. Players, courts and the total minutes you have booked.
- 2. Set the match lengths. A timed round for rotating formats and an honest one-set estimate for Round Robin and knockouts, plus the changeover between them.
- 3. Compare. Each card shows rounds or matches, the estimated total, time left or over, courts used and how much each player or team plays.
- 4. Press Use this format. The generator opens with the rows, courts and timing filled in. Add the names and start.
Example: 16 players, 4 courts, 2 hours
With 12-minute rounds and 2-minute changeovers, eight rounds fit in 110 minutes. Americano, Mexicano and King of the Court all give everyone eight rounds, 96 minutes on court. A full Round Robin for eight pairs needs seven one-set matches each, roughly 3 hours 42 minutes, so it is shown as over budget rather than cut short. A knockout fits easily, but half the pairs play once.
How the times are worked out
Totals use the same rule as the generators: rounds or court waves, plus a changeover between them, with no changeover after the last one. A group stage adds one changeover before the knockout. Match counts and court waves come from the generators’ own scheduling, so the planner and the setup page show the same numbers.
Planner questions
- How does the planner choose a format?
- Every format that works for your numbers is shown. Among those that fit your booking, the one marked Most play time gives the least-played player the most time on court. For set formats that time is an estimate from your set length, because real sets run shorter or longer. Knockouts rank lower because knocked-out teams stop playing, not because they are a worse format.
- Why are timed rounds and set matches separate?
- Americano, Mexicano and King of the Court use timed rounds that end on the clock. Round Robin and knockouts play to a set result, so their times are estimates and a long set pushes everything back.
- What happens when I press Use this format?
- The generator opens with the number of player or team rows, courts, rounds, timing and groups filled in. Only counts and settings are carried, never names. If you already have an event or typed names on that page, nothing changes until you choose Apply.
- Why is King of the Court missing for my group?
- King and Queen of the Court needs exactly four players on every court in use and nobody sitting out, so the player count must be a multiple of four and you need at least two courts.
- Can it plan a mixed event?
- Not from a head count. Mixed Americano and Mixicano need two separately entered groups, so the planner links to their setups instead of guessing who is in which group.
Want the background first? Read the guide to padel tournament formats.