McDonald’s India has decided that its next strategic step won’t be about expanding its menu, but about stepping directly onto the padel court. Westlife Foodworld -the company operating McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India- has announced a strategic partnership with the Indian Padel Academy (IPA) to drive the sport’s development across the country.
The agreement outlines a comprehensive plan that includes the expansion of dedicated padel infrastructure, the creation of structured training programmes, and the organisation of local competitions and leagues. With this initiative, McDonald’s aims to make padel more accessible to a wider audience, especially younger players, by introducing the sport through schools, certified academies, and city leagues.
Akshay Jatia, CEO of Westlife Foodworld, highlights that: "this collaboration continues the company’s long-standing global commitment to supporting sport — from community initiatives to international events". According to Jatia, the goal is to inspire a new generation of players and help India develop talent capable of competing on the world stage.
Nikhil Sachdev, Co-founder of Padel Park India, welcomes the arrival of a partner of this scale to the Indian padel ecosystem. The Indian Padel Academy -recognised as the country’s most advanced training structure- aims to integrate international-level infrastructure and collaborate with global academies to accelerate the sport’s growth.
Padel, one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, continues to gain momentum in India thanks to its social, accessible, and dynamic nature. Through this partnership, McDonald’s is not only expanding its activity beyond food service but also strengthening its commitment to community development and to the expansion of a sport experiencing rapid global growth.
From now on, alongside serving burgers, McDonald’s India also hopes to serve future champions.
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