Padel · Formats
Padel Americano rules and scoring
In a padel Americano, players swap partners every round and play short matches to a points target, usually 16, 24 or 32 points. Every point your pair wins goes on your personal total, and the player with the most points at the end wins.
How does Americano scoring work?
Americano is a social format, not an FIP rule, so the organiser sets the details. The common core is simple:
- No games or sets. Every rally is one point, counted 1, 2, 3.
- Each round has a points target, usually 16, 24 or 32. Some groups play a fixed total, so a 24-point round always adds up to 24, for example 13-11. Others play first to the number. Agree which before you start.
- Points are personal. Both players add the points their pair won in the round to their own total. Win a round 14-10 and you and your partner each add 14; your opponents each add 10.
- The winner is a player, not a pair: the highest total after the last round.
How do partners rotate in Americano?
Pairings follow a fixed schedule drawn up before play, so the aim is that everyone partners everyone once and plays against everyone. Each player has one partner per round, so it takes one round fewer than the number of players: 3 rounds for 4 players, 7 for 8, 11 for 12 and 15 for 16. Results never change who you play with next.
An 8-player rotation on two courts
Number the players 1 to 8 and play these 7 rounds. Each player partners every other player once and plays against each of them exactly twice.
| Round | Court 1 | Court 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1+2 v 3+4 | 5+6 v 7+8 |
| 2 | 1+3 v 5+7 | 2+4 v 6+8 |
| 3 | 1+4 v 5+8 | 2+3 v 6+7 |
| 4 | 1+5 v 2+6 | 3+7 v 4+8 |
| 5 | 1+6 v 3+8 | 2+5 v 4+7 |
| 6 | 1+7 v 4+6 | 2+8 v 3+5 |
| 7 | 1+8 v 2+7 | 3+6 v 4+5 |
What does an Americano scoresheet look like?
Four players, three rounds of 24 points (a fixed total), so everyone partners everyone once:
- Round 1: Ana and Ben 14, Cara and Dan 10
- Round 2: Ana and Cara 9, Ben and Dan 15
- Round 3: Ana and Dan 12, Ben and Cara 12
| Round | Ana | Ben | Cara | Dan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 15 |
| 3 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Total | 35 | 41 | 31 | 37 |
Ben wins with 41. Round 3 was a draw, so all four players added 12. A quick check on any sheet: the four totals always add up to twice the points played, here 2 x 72 = 144.
How is Mexicano different?
Mexicano counts points exactly like Americano, but the pairings come from the live leaderboard instead of a fixed schedule. After each round, players are re-paired by standing: 1st and 4th vs 2nd and 3rd on the top court, and the same pattern for the next four players on the next court. The first round has no standings yet, so it is drawn or seeded by level.
Using the sheet above, a Mexicano fourth round would be Ben (1st) and Cara (4th) against Dan (2nd) and Ana (3rd). Because players of a similar standing keep meeting, the matches are meant to get closer as the event goes on.
How do you run a padel Americano?
- Count players and courts. Padel is doubles, so each court takes four players.
- Set the round length. Pick 16, 24 or 32 points and say whether it is a fixed total or first to the number.
- Agree the serve. There are no service games, so decide how the serve rotates. In a fixed-total round you can share it evenly: in a 24-point round each of the four players serves 6 points.
- Fix the pairings. Print the rotation for an Americano, or re-pair from the leaderboard after every round for a Mexicano.
- Record every round. Write each player's points down straight away, and agree before you start how equal totals are split.
How the app handles it
The app does not run Americano or Mexicano: it has no partner rotation and no individual points leaderboard. Its padel scorer counts 15, 30, 40 games and sets between two fixed pairs, with Golden Point or Advantage and best of 1 or 3 sets, so it suits a regular match rather than a points round. If your night ends with a one-set match between fixed pairs, the best of 1 option scores that.
Questions
How many players do you need for a padel Americano?
Ideally a multiple of four, with one court for every four players. With other numbers, players take turns to sit out a round, so agree in advance how a sit-out round counts, for example as the average of your other rounds.
What happens if two players finish on the same total?
Americano has no official tie-break, so the organiser decides, ideally before the first round. Simple options are most rounds won, or the points difference across all your rounds.
Can an Americano round end in a draw?
Yes, when the round is a fixed even total. A 24-point round can finish 12-12, and all four players add 12 to their totals. If your group plays first to the number, a round cannot end level.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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