Pickleball Continues Five-Year Streak as Fastest Growing Sport

It’s obvious racket sports are trending in the recreational and professional sports landscape. However, this past week the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) shared the hard data behind this growth in their 2026 Topline Participation Report.

While pickleball has seen the most growth, racket sports as a whole have seen an increase in participation over the past 10 years.

But for the sake of this story, let’s tap deeper into the world of pickleball.

The sport’s growth has been unprecedented, growing from around 4 million participants in 2020 to more than 24 million in 2025. This number is about two-thirds casual participants who play a handful of times throughout the year with one-third representing more frequent players that play often.

The important number here is that core player participant. Core players are the ones that sustain the ecosystem by joining clubs, buying gear, taking lessons, and entering tournaments. But most important of all is their role in bringing new players to the sport.

One of the constant stories about pickleball is that it’s the fastest growing racket sport. That still rings true, but it’s important to note that it is not only the fastest growing racket sport. It is the fastest growing sport…period.

Within the greater physical activity ecosystem, pickleball made its way into the top 25, only a couple million behind tennis. If trends continue on this path, pickleball will likely overtake tennis in a couple years.

But pickleball isn’t the only racket sport people are buzzing about. Padel is now sharing the spotlight and pushing strong messaging around it being one of the fastest growing sports. However, within the United States padel hasn’t yet seen similar growth. It will be interesting to see how it grows in the next couple years.

Overall, these numbers show positive growth for the industry as a whole. Tennis continues to grow, pickleball is expanding rapidly, and padel is just getting started. The entire racket sports industry is on the verge of establishing itself as a top choice for sports participation in the United States, placing it alongside other major sports. This momentum creates strong future potential for businesses and organizations to build awareness and drive revenue.