Pickleball in Portugal: Rapid Growth and the Road Ahead
By Jacquie Cozens, Portugal Pickleball News
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There is no doubt that pickleball is experiencing a huge growth phase in Portugal. Municipal authorities are recognising the sport’s potential, school programmes are being introduced, and major tournaments are being planned. With pleasant year-round temperatures and a reputation for safe tourism, many professionals are organising clinics and retreats, while winter tourists flock here specifically to play.
Portugal is at a pivotal moment. The country has an opportunity to position itself as a serious player on the global pickleball stage, but to do so, it needs to move from early enthusiasm to strategic development. Pickleball only really took off in Portugal in 2022, so it is still in its infancy. With an estimated 500–600 regular players, the sport has yet to be recognised as a federation and two associations are competing to represent the nation’s players.
Facilities are expanding but remain limited. There are around 45 places to play with more opening all the time. However, only a handful are purpose-built courts and these are mostly concentrated along the coast, leaving inland regions under-served.
Many resorts are opening courts that, while well-intentioned, are simply not suitable. Some have crumbling surfaces and barely visible lines, one has an artificial grass surface and some are just an afterthought; one venue squeezed pickleball between two padel courts and placed a table tennis table behind one service line and a seating area behind the other, with no fence or safety nets!
In the south of the country, only two indoor venues exist, and one is exclusively for hotel guests. This shortage has affected both local players and international visitors, especially during this year’s early storms, leaving Canadian and North American snowbirds with a disappointing start to the season.
Despite these gaps, there is plenty to be optimistic about. PTPickle, one of the national associations, has introduced a schools programme aimed at nurturing future professionals or even Olympians. And many individuals are actively engaging with municipalities and resorts to encourage the sport’s development with several underused sports facilities being revitalised. A standout example is the Lagos Tennis Centre, now one of the busiest pickleball venues in the country, welcoming hundreds of players weekly. These successes demonstrate that with the right approach, Portugal can create high-quality, high-traffic pickleball centres.
To accelerate growth and be taken seriously internationally, Portugal’s pickleball community needs a coherent, unified strategy. The current enthusiasm must be paired with clear governance, standards and ways to achieve our goals. Establishing more clubs, recruiting more players, referees and coaches and uniting them under a single recognised federation would help to develop the sport nationally.
Introducing minimum standards for court design and construction and finding investment for purpose built weatherproof venues would allow year-round play, while underused municipal halls and sports facilities could be converted into pickleball-ready spaces.
Portugal is at the start of an exciting journey. With only a few years of organised play behind it, demand and enthusiasm are strong. Portugal has the opportunity to move from a fledgling pickleball nation to a respected competitor on the world stage.
Chris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at all levels of pickleball. Chris is also an avid player, currently struggling to make the breakthrough from 4.0 to 4.5.