Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador and Venezuela Chase Three Doha Spots at Asuncion Qualifier

Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador and Venezuela have national teams on court in Asuncion this week, chasing the last South American spots at the FIP World Cup in Doha. The qualifying event started Thursday, August 20, at venues across the Paraguayan capital and runs into the weekend.

One men's spot and two women's spots are up for grabs. Chile's women also entered the field, giving the women's draw five teams against four in the men's bracket. Every side plays every other side in a single round robin group, so the standings after the last match decide who advances.

Why it matters

The winners join a 32-team World Cup field, split evenly between men and women, set for Doha from November 2 to 7. Twenty-three teams have already locked in their places, including Argentina, Spain, Brazil, Italy and hosts Qatar, most of them through their finishes at the 2024 FIP World Padel Championship. Asuncion is the second qualifying stop after Toronto, where Mexico's men and the United States' women already punched their tickets in July.

What's left on the road to Doha

Two more qualifying events remain once Asuncion wraps up. Madrid hosts the European qualifiers from September 22 to 26, handing out two spots in each draw, and a joint Africa-Asia tournament will award the final two places before the field is complete.

None of the four South American men's teams or five women's teams has ever played a FIP World Cup on home continent soil, so a trip to Doha in November would be a first for whoever comes out on top in Asuncion.