What is your padel level?

Your padel level depends on which platform is rating you. Playtomic uses an algorithmic 0.0 to 7.0 scale calibrated by match results. MATCHi uses a self-rated 1 to 7 scale popular in the Nordics. The LTA Padel rating runs 1.0 to 7.0 for UK competitive play. The FIP world ranking applies to international tournament players only. None of these convert officially, so any cross-system equivalence is approximate.

Why padel has so many rating systems

Padel grew faster than its governance. The sport spread out of Spain and Argentina through national federations, club apps and booking platforms, and each of those layers built its own rating logic before anyone agreed on a global standard. The result is the four systems most players bump into today.

Playtomic is the dominant booking app across continental Europe and now most of the UK and Middle East, so its 0.0 to 7.0 rating is the one most recreational players see first. MATCHi is the Nordic and Northern European alternative and uses a 1 to 7 scale. The LTA Padel rating is the British competitive ladder, run by the Lawn Tennis Association. The FIP world ranking sits above all of it for elite tournament players.

None of these systems was designed to talk to the others. They use different maths, different starting points and different evidence. That is why a 3.5 on Playtomic and a 3.5 on the LTA rating do not mean the same thing on court.

Quick self-diagnostic - what is your padel level?

We have built an 8-question interactive quiz that estimates your approximate Playtomic, MATCHi, LTA Padel and FIP equivalent in about two minutes. Take it once to position yourself, then re-take it in six weeks to see how your game has moved.

Playtomic level (0.0 to 7.0)

Playtomic uses an algorithmic rating updated after every recorded match. Your level moves up or down based on the result and the level of the players on the other side of the net. The scale runs from 0.0 to 7.0 in 0.25 increments, with a separate reliability percentage that tracks how confident the algorithm is in your number.

Reliability rises with more matches. New players carry low reliability and big swings of 0.5 to 1.0 are normal in the first 15 to 20 rated matches as the system calibrates. Once reliability climbs above roughly 80 per cent, swings settle and the rating becomes a fair reflection of where you actually play.

Levelling classes run by Playtomic-partnered coaches can speed up calibration by feeding observed performance into the system, which is useful if you are coming from another racket sport and your starting rating undershoots your real ability.

The approximate bands most coaches use to translate Playtomic numbers into player descriptions look like this. 0.5 to 1.5 is absolute beginner. 1.5 to 2.5 is club beginner. 2.5 to 3.5 is regular club player. 3.5 to 4.5 is competent intermediate. 4.5 to 5.5 is competitive amateur. 5.5 and above is national amateur and competing.

MATCHi level (1 to 7)

MATCHi runs a self-rated 1 to 7 scale. You set your own starting level when you create an account, and adjustments come from player feedback and match history rather than a public algorithm score. It is the dominant booking platform across Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany and parts of Benelux.

Because the system leans on player honesty, the standard pattern is for newer players to overstate their level by a point or two and for the rating to settle as matches accumulate. Club organisers and league captains tend to adjust ratings manually when they see mismatched games.

As a rough cross-reference, MATCHi 3 to 4 sits in the same territory as Playtomic 3.0 to 3.5, and MATCHi 4 to 5 maps loosely to Playtomic 4.0 to 4.5. These are approximations, not official conversions.

LTA Padel rating (1.0 to 7.0)

The LTA Padel rating is the official British rating, introduced by the Lawn Tennis Association in 2020 when the LTA formally took on padel as a discipline. It runs from 1.0 to 7.0 in 0.5 increments and is the rating you need for entry into the LTA Padel Tour and most UK competitive events.

It is calibrated from tournament results and rated club matches. Unlike Playtomic, which uses an ELO-style algorithm based on opponent strength, the LTA rating is anchored to the FIP world ranking framework. The two systems can produce different numbers for the same player.

Approximate band descriptions used by UK coaches and tournament organisers. 1.0 to 2.0 is starter. 2.0 to 3.0 is beginner moving into improver. 3.0 to 4.0 is intermediate. 4.0 to 5.0 is competitive amateur. 5.0 and above is national-grade UK competition.

The LTA rating is meaningful only inside UK competitive padel. If you play recreationally on Playtomic at a London club and never enter an LTA-rated tournament, you will not have one, and that is fine.

FIP world ranking

The FIP world ranking is the International Padel Federation’s points-based list for competitive tournament players. Players earn points across FIP-sanctioned events including Premier Padel and the CUPRA FIP Tour, with the points scaling to event tier.

The ranking uses a player’s best 22 results across a rolling 12-month window, with older points decaying as new results come in. The top 100 men’s and women’s lists are the global elite of the sport and the gateway into Premier Padel draws.

For 99 per cent of recreational players the FIP ranking is not relevant. It is worth knowing because it is the framework that the LTA rating is calibrated against, and because tournament entry at FIP Tour level requires a ranking position rather than a club rating.

Cross-platform conversion table

This is the table most players come looking for. It is approximate. All four systems are independent, use different evidence and rate players in slightly different ways, so treat the rows as guidance for reading across platforms, not as official conversions.

Playtomic	MATCHi	LTA Padel	Description	FIP tier
1.0 to 1.5	1 to 2	1.0 to 2.0	Absolute beginner	Unranked
1.5 to 2.5	2 to 3	2.0 to 3.0	Initiation intermediate	Unranked
2.5 to 3.5	3 to 4	3.0 to 4.0	Intermediate	Local
3.5 to 4.5	4 to 5	4.0 to 5.0	Intermediate high	Regional
4.5 to 5.5	5 to 6	5.0 to 6.0	Intermediate advanced	National amateur
5.5+	6 to 7	6.0 to 7.0	Competition / national-grade	National and above

The pattern coaches see most often is that the LTA rating sits a touch higher than the equivalent Playtomic number for the same player, because LTA points come from tournament results against rated opposition rather than weekly social games. MATCHi tends to drift higher again because of self-rating bias.

How to find your true level

Your level is what your last 20 matches say, not what you tell people at the bar. The fastest honest route runs in five steps and works whether you are calibrating a brand new Playtomic account or sense-checking a rating that feels off.

1. Play 15 to 20 rated matches against varied opponents. Either through Playtomic or MATCHi. Avoid only playing the same regular four. The algorithm needs spread to calibrate properly.

2. Self-assess your shot fundamentals honestly. Serve consistency, return depth, wall play off the back glass, bandeja under pressure, lob defence. If you cannot do these reliably under match pressure, you are not the level you think you are.

3. Compare your win rate at the level you think you are. A genuine 3.5 wins roughly half their matches against other 3.5 players. If you are winning 80 per cent, you are higher. If you are losing 80 per cent, you are lower.

4. Book a one-hour assessment with a coach. A qualified coach can place you within 0.5 levels in a single session. This is the fastest way to skip the calibration grind.

5. For UK competitive entry, register for an LTA Padel rating. The route is to enter a rated club tournament through your LTA-affiliated club. The rating gets issued from your tournament results.

Common confusion - the levels traps

Self-rating bias is the big one. Most players over-rate themselves by 0.5 to 1.0 levels when first asked. Coaches see it constantly. The fix is to look at win rate against rated opposition, not at how good your best shot felt last Tuesday.

Playtomic does not equal MATCHi. A player listed as 3.5 on Playtomic and a player listed as 5.0 on MATCHi can play very differently on the same court. Read the table above as a rough bridge, not as a binding conversion.

The LTA Padel rating is UK-only. It is meaningless if you are booking courts in Marbella or Dubai. Use Playtomic for those bookings. Equally, the FIP world ranking is pros and serious tournament amateurs only and is irrelevant to club play.

In mixed-level matches the lower-rated player tends to set the ceiling on the rally, because opponents target them. Pairing a 4.5 with a 2.5 against two 3.5s usually goes badly for the high-low side, regardless of the 4.5’s ability.

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