Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The global padel landscape officially entered a transformative era as the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) unveiled “Dalma”, Abu Dhabi’s flagship franchise in the Hexagon World Series, the world’s first global team padel circuit.
Sanctioned by the International Padel Federation (FIP), the Hexagon World Series is a year-round, point-based team competition featuring eight teams competing across three continents and four venues. Madrid will stage the 2027 season opener while Abu Dhabi will host the finale later next year. Following an exhibition tournament involving local and international players, the Dalma team representing the UAE was announced at the Emirates Palace hotel in the capital.
Named after the historic Abu Dhabi island, Team Dalma has constructed an impressive roster while working within a 14-point ceiling as well as reflecting global diversity. Each team has to work within a budget of 14 points like the concept of a salary cap and where points are awarded for each player based on their ranking.
Accordingly, Dalma team features world No.1 male superstars Arturo Coello of Spain and Agustín Tapia of Argentina, and the women duo of top-10 Portuguese star Sofia Araújo, and Giulia Dal Pozzo of Italy.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, highlighted the long-term impact of the development. “As one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, padel continues to bring people together across generations and backgrounds, and we are pleased to welcome some of the sport’s leading athletes to the emirate.
“Through events of this calibre, we create opportunities for residents and visitors alike to engage with sport, pursue active lifestyles and connect with the global sporting community.”
Born from the success of the standalone Hexagon Cup in Madrid, the expanded World Series is co-founded by its promoter Enrique Buenaventura along with Gary Davidson and Sergio Lewin. A team’s top selections carry point values up to five points, which are assigned to world number one ranked players. Holding world number one male and female pairings on a single roster is mathematically impossible under the rules, forcing franchise managers to combine elite superstars with top-tier rising talents.
On partnering with the UAE capital, Buenaventura praised the long-term vision established by local sports authorities. “It fits really well,” Buenaventura added. “Abu Dhabi has a really good plan on padel as a sport. Not just hosting an event, but helping on the grassroots, developing padel from the younger generations with a team.
“Padel is very strong in the Middle East; it's growing really fast and it's potentially one of the strongest markets for the future, so I think it was a good location and the response and the relationship that we are building here has been fantastic since day one and I think it's going to be a very stable and long-term partnership with us.”
Coello and Tapia account for 10 of Dalma’s 14 allocated points, giving Abu Dhabi unmatched firepower at the top end of match ties. Araújo brings top-tier big-match experience to the women's side, while the 21-year-old Dal Pozzo represents Dalma's strategic pick under the points cap. A rising talent who broke onto the Premier Padel semi-final stage, Dal Pozzo fits the squad's point constraints while providing also a rare combination lock of being left-handed.
Dani Dios, who chose to call himself Team Dalma’s “representative”, explained the importance of strategic scouting to match with the squad formation rules and hence search for high-potential younger talent to balance the roster. “That's why we went for rising stars like Giulia, she's a young player but she's already showing we believe a lot of potential so it's also kind of an investment,” Dios added.
“And it's also a good way to provide an opportunity for younger players to be part of the setup with world’s No.1 players. I think it's something spectacular that perhaps in other formats of competition that is not possible.”
Addressing the selection of three nationalities for Team Dalma, Dios emphasised the alignment with the capital's multicultural makeup. “At the end of the day, the UAE is where over 200 nationalities are based, right?” Dios said. “And we want the team to represent as well their values. So having these four different nationalities, I think that gives us a very unique angle to the team, which resonates with us.”
While other teams in the series feature celebrity team owners from football and motorsport such as Sergio Agüero, Rafael Nadal, or Pierre Gasly, Team Dalma is taking a distinct structural path focused on community engagement rather than star owners. “No, because we just want community,” Dios stated regarding celebrity backing.
“Community is an important part. Just bringing the players to the communities. So we know the importance of it. We know the importance of being inspired for the younger generations. So communities for us are the big players.”
