Doha: The World Padel Championship Qatar 2024 kicked off Monday. Hosted by the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, 16 teams in the men's and women's categories are taking part in the tournament. In the first group stage matches, the Spanish women's team, ranked first in the world, defeated its Brazilian counterpart, ranked 9th in the world, (3-0). The Argentine women's team, ranked second in the world, defeated the United States team, ranked 12th in the world, (3-0), and the Italian women's team, ranked third in the world, also defeated its Uruguayan counterpart by the same score. The total prize money for the tournament is 500 thousand euros, distributed equally between men and women and to all teams that reached the finals. The State of Qatar has obtained the right to host the World Padel Championship after meeting a number of criteria, most notably the world-class sports facilities and organizational expertise, in addition to the great support provided by Doha to the players participating in the championship and the sporting legacy enjoyed by the State of Qatar and its distinguished geographical location. This is the second time that the World Padel Championship has been held in the State of Qatar, as it previously hosted it in 2021 and achieved great success. Source: Qatar News Agency