# College Padel League Launches First Season With Pro Padel League Backing

> More than 20 schools join the new collegiate circuit, which crowns its first champion in Miami this December alongside the Pro Padel League Finals.

Published: 2026-10-24T13:40:25.977Z
Canonical: https://unstopadel.com/en/news/college-padel-league-launches-first-season
Tags: college-padel, pro-padel-league, united-states, padel-growth

A new college league wants to make padel a varsity sport long before the NCAA ever sanctions one. The College Padel League (CPL) announced on October 23 that it is launching the first season of a national collegiate competition, built with the Pro Padel League (PPL) and five founding club operators.

## Who is behind it

The founding group includes Ultra Padel in Miami, Austin's Padel 39, Epic Padel and Padel N9ne, according to the league's own site and its launch release. CPL says more than 20 schools have signed on for the inaugural season, with a goal of pushing that past 40 programs by the end of the year. Every club chapter is meant to be student-led, with the pro-level PPL providing the commercial backbone.

## The prize and the stage

Twenty college teams, split across men's and women's brackets, will compete for a $20,000 prize pool at the CPL Playoffs in Miami from December 3 to 5. The playoffs run alongside the PPL Finals, and the league says the CPL championship match will be played on that same stage.

## Why it matters

Padel keeps getting pitched as America's next big racquet sport, but a 2026 participation report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association still has pickleball well out in front nationally, with padel only newly added to its tracked sports. The CPL bet is that getting students onto courts now builds the next wave of fans and players regardless of where padel ranks today.

CPL chief executive Ryan Durishin called the launch "a milestone for collegiate sport in the United States, and for student padel globally."

## FAQ
### What is the College Padel League?
It is a new national competition for US college padel teams, launched October 23, 2026 in partnership with the Pro Padel League and five founding club operators including Ultra Padel, Padel 39, Epic Padel and Padel N9ne.

### When and where are the CPL Playoffs?
The inaugural CPL Playoffs run December 3-5, 2026 in Miami, co-located with the Pro Padel League Finals, with a $20,000 prize pool split across men's and women's brackets.

### How many schools are taking part in the first season?
CPL says more than 20 schools joined at launch, with a goal of growing past 40 programs by the end of its first season.

## Sources
- [Padel's College Era Begins: College Padel League Launches National Collegiate Padel Competition for the United States](https://insider.fitt.co/press-release/padels-college-era-begins-college-padel-league-launches-national-collegiate-padel-competition-for-the-united-states/) - FITT Insider
- [College Padel League](https://collegepadelleague.com/) - College Padel League

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