# Spanish and Argentine Stars Are Switching Flags to Reach the Padel World Championship

> Blocked from deep Spanish and Argentine rosters, top players are naturalizing for the UAE and Italy to get a real shot at a World Padel Championship spot.

Published: 2026-08-23T19:34:29.295Z
Canonical: https://unstopadel.com/en/news/padel-nationality-switching-flags-world-championship-2026
Tags: world-championship, nationality, uae, italy, fip

Padel's push to grow beyond Spain and Argentina is quietly changing who gets to wear a national jersey, and not everyone is comfortable with it.

## Spanish players now play for the UAE

Inigo Jofre and Arnau Ayats, both Spanish born and both ranked in the world's top 60, took United Arab Emirates nationality to chase a World Padel Championship spot that was out of reach with Spain's deep roster. Jofre is from Tenerife, Ayats from Vic in Catalonia. They compete for the UAE alongside Sergio Icardo and Fran Jurado, another pair of naturalized Spaniards. Ayats has said plainly that a player ranked around 50th in the world has almost no path onto the Spanish team, so representing another federation became the only route to a world championship in the current cycle.

## Italy leans on Argentine born talent

Italy has taken a similar route. Facundo Dominguez and Aris Patiniotis, both born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, now play for Italy through family ancestry, Dominguez through a great-grandfather and Patiniotis through Campania roots on his mother's side. The pair became the first Italian team to win a Premier Padel match and have beaten Fernando Belasteguin himself. Several of Italy's current world top 100 men have Argentine roots, a mix that has turned a mid-tier federation into a genuine contender.

## A growing debate

Not everyone in padel is comfortable with the trend. Critics argue naturalization is turning national selection into a recruitment exercise rather than a reflection of where players actually grew up and learned the game. Federations counter that the sport is too concentrated in Spain and Argentina for smaller nations to compete otherwise, and that the eligibility rules are the same ones used across Olympic sports.

## FAQ
### Why are Spanish and Argentine players switching national teams?
Spain and Argentina are so deep in padel talent that many strong players cannot make those national squads, so some naturalize elsewhere for a realistic shot at representing a country at the World Padel Championship.

### Which countries have benefited most from nationality changes?
The United Arab Emirates and Italy are the clearest examples, each fielding squads built in part around naturalized Spanish or Argentine born players.

## Sources
- [The phenomenon of players changing nationality for international padel tournaments](https://padel-magazine.co.uk/the-phenomenon-of-players-changing-nationality-for-international-padel-tournaments/) - Padel Magazine
- [United Arab Emirates assembles its selection with four Spanish players](https://padelworldpress.es/en/emiratos-arabes-arma-su-seleccion-con-cuatros-jugadores-espanoles/) - Padel World Press
- [Gli italo-argentini alla conquista del Premier Padel: ecco chi sono](https://www.supertennis.tv/News/Padel/Gli-italo-argentini-alla-conquista-del-Premier-Padel-ecco-chi-sono) - SuperTennis

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