Today, the eyes of padel fans are turning to the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, which is hosting the semi-final matches of the World Padel Cup Qatar 2026, amid great anticipation for the upcoming confrontations that bring together the elite of the international teams in the men’s and women’s competitions.
The tournament reached its penultimate stage, after strong competitions witnessed in the previous rounds, where the qualifying teams succeeded in proving their worth in reaching the semi-finals.
It is expected that the semi-final matches will witness high technical levels and great excitement, in light of the desire of all teams to continue the journey and achieve victory and reserve a seat in the final, especially since this stage does not accept compensation, which doubles the importance of every point and every match. Argentina, Italy, Spain and Portugal all qualified.
The tournament receives wide public and media attention, with 32 teams participating, which reflects the growing status of the State of Qatar in hosting major international sports tournaments.
Hosting the Padel World Cup Qatar 2026 reaffirms Doha’s ability to organize major sporting events and provide a distinctive competitive atmosphere for teams, players and fans, with the excitement continuing until the final day of the tournament, which will witness the determination of the world champions in the men’s and women’s competitions.
The 2026 Padel World Cup continues, and the Argentine national team will meet with its Italian counterpart, Spain with Portugal, and Al-Anabi with the United Arab Emirates to determine the positions from 13 to 1.
Attention turns to the two semi-final matches, where Argentina meets Italy, while Spain collides with France, in two strong confrontations to decide the two places to qualify for the final.
In determining places from fifth to eighth, Portugal faces Brazil, Sweden and the Netherlands, while Belgium meets Indonesia, and Britain meets the United States to determine places from ninth to twelfth.
Egypt also faces Chile, and Paraguay meets Germany in the competitions to determine places from thirteenth to sixteenth.
Rashid Al-Athba: We are happy with what our players presented
Rashid Al-Athba, Managing Director of the Qatar Padel Team, confirmed his satisfaction with Al-Annabi’s participation in the World Padel Cup – Qatar 2026, noting that the team presented great levels and an honorable performance that won everyone’s admiration and respect. He said: We are happy with what our players presented during the tournament. The team appeared strong and proved its ability to compete with the big teams. The World Cup also represented an important opportunity for our players to have strong interactions with an elite group of the most prominent stars of the game in the world, and to gain more experience that will reflect positively on their level in the upcoming competitions. He said that the Annabi players performed at great levels and gained experience and contact through the championship competitions and facing the world’s ranked players, and this in itself is a great gain.
Tariq Zainal: Qatar is a global destination for padel stars
Tariq Zainal, Secretary General of the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Badminton and Padel Federation – Director of the Qatar World Cup 2026, confirmed that the 2026 Padel World Cup has achieved great organizational and technical success, pointing out that Doha’s hosting of the third edition of the tournament reflects the global position that Qatar has reached in organizing major sporting events, after it became a favorite destination for the game’s stars and the best international teams.
Zainal explained that the praises received by the organization confirm the professionalism of the work within the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, noting that the presence of the world’s most prominent stars reflects the great confidence gained by the Qatar Championship, which has witnessed a qualitative shift since the 2021 edition.
Regarding the participation of the Qatari team, Zainal expressed his satisfaction with the level presented by the players, stressing that the performance was better than previous editions, and that Al-Anabi was close to reaching the advanced stages, especially after the strong performances it performed against international teams, including Chile, one of the six best teams in the world. He pointed out that experience played a role in some confrontations, but he expects that participation will reflect positively on the team’s classification in the future.
He stressed that the federation is working to prepare a second row of young players, by paying attention to youth and developing talents, praising the levels of Rashid Naif and Meshari Nawaf, the Asian champions, along with the rest of the team. He added that the ambition is to prepare a strong team to participate in the 2028 World Cup, which Qatar will host again, as well as the 2030 Asian Games.
Zainal revealed a development plan for the Khalifa International Complex, which includes preparing a second stadium with a capacity of 2,500 spectators, in addition to working on a project to create a specialized indoor padel court, stressing that the designs are ready, and that the federation is looking forward to implementing the project during the next stage.
He stressed the Federation’s interest in increasing public demand and encouraging children and young people to play the game, through events, introductory tours, and following world stars.
Regarding the competition, Zainal nominated the Argentine and Spanish national teams to compete for the title, considering that Argentina appears more ready to complete its ranks, while the absence of the Spaniard Alejandro Galan due to injury represents an impressive loss for the Spanish national team.
Tango fans steal the spotlight
In a scene that reflects the great Argentine passion for sports, the players and fans of the Argentine national team caught the attention during the Padel World Cup – Qatar 2026, after the stands turned into a distinctive Argentine painting in which songs and chants mixed with the enthusiastic atmosphere.
The Argentine national team players interacted with their fans in a wonderful scene, during which the two sides exchanged singing and chants, with one voice rising in and outside the stands, amid a festive atmosphere that reflected the strength of the relationship between the players and their fans, and the great passion that accompanies the Argentine fans in various sporting events.
The distinctive public atmosphere was not limited to the Argentine national team, but extended to include the various participating teams and countries, as all stadiums witnessed a large crowd presence and remarkable interaction from fans of different nationalities, who were keen to support their teams and enjoy the competitions, which gave the tournament an exceptional international atmosphere.