Padel Scoring Explained 2026: Star Point and Tiebreaks

Padel scoring borrows the points-and-games structure from tennis, but the 2026 FIP rulebook added a new wrinkle at deuce — the Star Point — that sits between traditional Advantage scoring and the Golden Point sudden-death format some events still use. This guide walks through every level of padel scoring (point, game, set, match), explains the three deuce options now in play, covers tiebreaks, and answers the score-calling etiquette questions UK players ask most often.

Padel inherits its point-naming convention from tennis. The four point values are 0 (called love), 15, 30, and 40 — and the player or team that wins the next point after 40 wins the game, provided their opponent has 30 or fewer.

The 15/30/40 sequence is a tennis quirk that survived into padel: the original tennis points were 15, 30, 45, and game, derived from a clock face, with 45 later compressed to 40 in casual scoring. Padel kept the system unchanged. There is no shorthand variant in official FIP play — even at amateur level in the UK, scores are called as 15, 30, 40 rather than 1, 2, 3.

If both teams reach 40 — that is, 40-all — the game enters deuce, and one of three resolution methods is used. Which method applies depends on the format of the event you're playing: that's covered below.

A game is won by the team that first scores four points with at least a two-point margin — so 4-0, 4-1, or 4-2. (In score-calling terms, that's 40-love, 40-15, or 40-30 followed by the winning point.) Reaching 40-40 triggers deuce, and the game continues until the deuce is resolved.

The serving team holds serve through the entire game, with the same player serving every point of that game. After the game ends, the serve passes to the other team, and the team that just served swaps the server for the next time their team serves. Within a game, partners do not alternate the serve — that swap only happens game-to-game.

Point order within a game does not affect the result. A team can win 4-0 (sometimes called to love), 4-1, or 4-2, and the game value is the same in every case. The order matters only for tactical purposes: a team that goes down 0-40 still has three points to recover and force deuce.

The 2026 FIP rulebook introduced the Star Point as a third deuce-resolution option, sitting between traditional Advantage scoring and the older Golden Point format some events still use. Each event nominates one of the three at the start, and once chosen the format applies to every deuce in the match.

Advantage scoring

The classic format. At 40-40, the team that wins the next point gains advantage — usually called ad-in if it's the serving team or ad-out if it's the receiving team. If that team also wins the following point, they win the game; if they lose it, the score reverts to deuce. The cycle repeats until one team wins two consecutive points from a deuce position. Advantage is still the default at FIP-affiliated club competition and most informal UK club play.

Star Point

New for the 2026 season. The first two advantage cycles run as normal — so a team can still win the game by stringing together two points after deuce, just like Advantage scoring. But if neither team converts within two cycles, the game moves to a single decisive point: the Star Point. Whoever wins that point wins the game, regardless of who is serving. The Star Point is the official format for the 2026 Premier Padel and CUPRA FIP Tour seasons, plus selected amateur circuits.

Golden Point

The shortest format. At 40-40, the receiving team chooses which side they want to receive on (deuce or ad court), and the next point decides the game outright — no advantage cycles, just sudden death. Golden Point was the default on the WPT/Premier Padel circuit through 2024 and is still used in some amateur competitions and league formats. Under 2026 FIP rules, it remains a valid choice that organisers can adopt.

A set is won by the team that first wins six games with a two-game margin — so 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, or 6-4. If the score reaches 5-5, play continues until one team is two games ahead (a 7-5 set), or until the score reaches 6-6, at which point a tiebreak is played to decide the set.

The tiebreak in padel follows tennis convention: it's a single extended game played to 7 points, with a 2-point margin required to win. So a tiebreak ends 7-0, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, or 7-5 in a clean win, or continues past 6-6 inside the tiebreak (8-6, 9-7, 10-8, and so on). Points in the tiebreak are scored as 1, 2, 3 — not as 15, 30, 40 — and the server changes after the first point, then alternates every two points. Teams switch ends every six points within the tiebreak.

The team that wins the tiebreak wins the set 7-6.

A standard padel match is best of three sets — the first team to win two sets wins the match. So 6-3, 6-4 finishes a match; 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 also finishes a match. The third set is fully played in most formats, including a tiebreak at 6-6 if needed.

Some shorter event formats — particularly amateur leagues and timed-court rentals — substitute a 10-point match-tiebreak (sometimes called a Champions Tiebreak or Super Tiebreak) for the third set. Played to 10 points with a 2-point margin, a match-tiebreak compresses the third-set decision into roughly five minutes of play. Premier Padel does not use match-tiebreaks; club competition often does.

The serving team calls the score before every point, in a clear voice loud enough for the receiving team to hear. The convention is server's score first, receiver's score second — so a server with two points won and the opposing team on one would call 30-15.

At deuce, the call is simply deuce. With advantage, the call names which team holds it — advantage in or ad in if the serving team holds it, advantage out or ad out if the receiving team does.

Game scores are called between games, by the server about to start the next game — for example three games to two at the start of the sixth game. Set scores are called at the start of the new set. In tournament play with a chair umpire, the umpire takes over scorekeeping and the verbal calls; in the absence of an umpire, the players manage their own score, and a quiet moment to confirm three-two, second set, your serve resolves most disputes before they start.

The same five scoring questions come up repeatedly at UK clubs. Each has a simple answer once you know what to look for.

1. Who serves first in a tiebreak? The team that did not serve the last regular game of the set. That team's first server takes one point, then the serve alternates every two points.
2. Which side does the server stand on? The server alternates sides every point, starting on the right (deuce side) at 0-0. Even-numbered total points (0, 30-30, 40-40) are served from the right; odd-numbered (15-0, 30-15) from the left (advantage side).
3. Does a let count as a fault? A let — a serve that clips the net cord and lands legally in the service box — is replayed, not faulted. A serve that hits the net cord and lands out is a fault, like any other.
4. Star Point vs Golden Point — which is which? Star Point allows two normal advantage cycles before triggering a deciding point; Golden Point goes straight to sudden death at the first deuce. Star Point is more conservative; Golden Point is faster.
5. Who chooses the side at Star Point or Golden Point? Under both formats, the receiving team chooses which side they prefer to receive on for the deciding point. The serving team has no say — they serve to whichever box the receivers nominate.

Looking for the full rulebook context? Our complete padel rules guide covers the 2026 FIP changes across serving, wall play, equipment, and conduct. Coming from tennis? Padel vs tennis highlights every meaningful difference. And once you have the scoring down, our LTA padel pathway guide explains how Grade 5 to Grade 1 events work in the UK.