Mexicano and Americano for pickleball: rules, scoring and how to run them
Two formats played in padel that work on a pickleball court. How each one pairs players, how scoring works and how to run either one tonight.
What's the difference between Americano and Mexicano?
Americano follows a fixed rotation set before play, so partners change every round. Mexicano plans each round from the live standings, so players with similar results share a court. In both, a player's score is the points their team wins. Americano pairs everyone with everyone only at some sizes.
| What differs | Americano | Mexicano |
|---|---|---|
| Pairings | Fixed rotation, planned before the first serve | Built each round from the current standings, in groups of four |
| Round 1 | Follows the chart | A random draw in the app and in the free tool. By hand, you can seed it |
| Scoring | Every point your team wins goes into your own total | The same |
| Who plays together | Partners change every round on a chart | Players with similar results share a court |
| Needs live standings? | No. A printed chart is enough | Yes. You rank everyone after every round |
Both are played in padel, and this guide applies them to pickleball. Doubles, rotating partners, and a score that belongs to you rather than your team: that is the whole idea. For other ways to run a night, see king of the court or browse the pickleball formats. If results should not steer who plays whom, the mixer plans each round only to keep repeats low.
How Americano works
An Americano is a rotating-partner round robin scored by points instead of games won. Each match is played to a fixed total of points. In a match to 16, if your team wins 10 and the other team gets 6, each of the two winners banks 10 points and each of the two losers banks 6. Nobody is knocked out, and losing a match still adds to your total.
The rotation is fixed before play. Whether it pairs everyone with everyone depends on the numbers. With a court for every four players, the free generator's full rotation gives every player each other player as a partner exactly once at these sizes, with no repeats:
| Players | Courts | Rounds in a full rotation |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | 2 | 7 |
| 9 | 2 | 9 |
| 12 | 3 | 11 |
| 13 | 3 | 13 |
| 16 | 4 | 15 |
| 17 | 4 | 17 |
| 20 | 5 | 19 |
| 21 | 5 | 21 |
| 24 | 6 | 23 |
At 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19, 22 and 23 players, some pairs never partner, even with a court for every four. With fewer courts the gaps grow: 16 players on 2 courts miss 60 partnerships, and 24 players on 3 courts repeat 6. Odd numbers share the sit-outs: with a court for every four players, no two players' sit-out counts differ by more than one at any size from 4 to 24. At 6, 10, 14, 18 and 22 players, some players still get one more game than others over a full rotation, so compare points per game, not totals.
The player with the most points at the end wins. Over a full rotation at 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20 and 21 players, everyone also faces every other player exactly twice.
How to run an Americano
- Count players and courts. Plan one court per four players, and check your size against the table above.
- Pick a match total. Padel guides and generators list totals such as 16, 21, 24 and 32. Choose yours from your own clock. 16 is our default.
- Choose the number of rounds. A full rotation at 8 players is 7 rounds. Divide your court time by how long your matches really take, and cut the rotation if you need to. A shorter rotation is not always the start of the longer one, so the generator builds it afresh for the rounds you pick.
- Get a rotation chart. The free generator builds one for your numbers when you choose Americano, with a score sheet you can print. The round robin guide covers the same rotation without scores.
- Agree the rules before the first serve. Fix the total, how points are scored (see below) and the tiebreakers. Don't change them mid-event.
- Play each round, then record both scores. Write down each team's points, not just who won. You need both numbers for every player.
- Add up the totals. Each player's score is the sum of their team's points across all rounds. When everyone has played the same number of games, the highest total wins. If games differ, rank by points per game.
How Mexicano works
Mexicano scores players the same way, but the schedule isn't fixed. Round 1 is a random draw. After that, the next round is built from the standings.
The app's Mexicano, and the free tool, work in this order:
- Sit-outs are chosen first. Whoever has sat out least sits, then whoever did not sit last round, then whoever has played most, with exact ties drawn at random. A player near the top of the standings can sit out.
- Rank the players who are playing. The app ranks by points per game, then win percentage, then point difference. Exact ties are drawn at random, so who plays whom can depend on that draw.
- Cut the ranking into fours. 1st to 4th go on court 1, 5th to 8th on court 2, and so on.
- Pair inside each four. 1st and 4th play 2nd and 3rd. If that would give someone the partner they had in the round before, 1st and 3rd play 2nd and 4th instead. Only the previous round is checked, so a partner from two rounds back can come round again.
Other versions pair differently. VISU's generator describes 1st and 3rd against 2nd and 4th on court 1. Padel Browser describes the leader with #4 and #2 with #3 on court one. Both are house conventions, not official rules, so pick one and stick to it. PickleCrew uses the Padel Browser version, with the fallback above.
The aim is that players with similar results meet on the same court, which tends to make games closer as the night goes on. It is a tendency, not a guarantee.
How to run a Mexicano
- Count players. Our advice is 8 or more, so there are at least two courts to rank. The app and the free tool run Mexicano from 4 players and sit the rest out from 5 up. With four, the standings only decide the sides.
- Choose the match total and the number of rounds. There is no printed chart, so you set the round count yourself.
- Draw round 1. Random is fine. If you run it by hand, you can seed by rough level.
- Record both scores from every match.
- Rank everyone after each round, using the order you agreed.
- Group in fours by rank and put each group on a court.
- Pair inside each group with the version you chose.
- Repeat from step 4 until the final round. The standings after that round are the result.
When a match ends level
The app's Mexicano needs a winner for every match, and it refuses tied scores. In a match to a fixed total, a level score is possible (8 to 8 in a match to 16, or a match stopped on the clock). Agree before round 1 how it is settled. The free tool asks who took the tie-break, records it, and shows how many wins are tie-break wins in the standings. A match stopped on the clock is entered at the score it stopped on and marked ended on time, and the tool does not fill in the missing points.
A worked example: 8 players, 2 rounds
This is an example with made-up scores. Play is to a match total of 16, the players are A to H, and pairings use 1st and 4th against 2nd and 3rd. Ties are drawn at random, so this is one possible draw.
Round 1 (random draw)
| Court | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A and B | 11 | C and D | 5 |
| 2 | E and F | 9 | G and H | 7 |
Teammates always finish round 1 level on points per game, win percentage and point difference, so A and B tie, E and F tie, G and H tie, and C and D tie. The ties are drawn at random. Here the draw gave this order:
| Rank | Player | Points per game |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 11 |
| 2 | B | 11 |
| 3 | E | 9 |
| 4 | F | 9 |
| 5 | G | 7 |
| 6 | H | 7 |
| 7 | C | 5 |
| 8 | D | 5 |
Round 2 (built from the table)
Ranks 1 to 4 (A, B, E, F) form group one. Ranks 5 to 8 (G, H, C, D) form group two. In each group, 1st and 4th play 2nd and 3rd.
| Court | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A and F (1st and 4th) | 10 | B and E (2nd and 3rd) | 6 |
| 2 | G and D (5th and 8th) | 5 | H and C (6th and 7th) | 11 |
The draw only matters inside the tied pairs. Had it put F ahead of E, court 1 would have been A and E against B and F. Had it put D ahead of C, court 2 would have been G and C against H and D. Two draws on each court make four possible round 2s, and the one printed is one of them.
Every partnership in the printed round 2 is new: round 1 partners were A and B, C and D, E and F, and G and H. After round 2 the totals are A 21, F 19, H 18, B 17, C 16, E 15, G 12 and D 10. They add up to 128: four matches of 16 points, counted for two players per team. Everyone has played two games, so points per game is the total divided by two, and the order is the same.
| Rank | Player | Total | Points per game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 21 | 10.5 |
| 2 | F | 19 | 9.5 |
| 3 | H | 18 | 9 |
| 4 | B | 17 | 8.5 |
| 5 | C | 16 | 8 |
| 6 | E | 15 | 7.5 |
| 7 | G | 12 | 6 |
| 8 | D | 10 | 5 |
Round 3 would put A, F, H and B on court 1, with A and B against F and H. It would put C, E, G and D on court 2, with C and D against E and G. A and B, and C and D, were partners in round 1. The app and the tool only avoid the previous round's partner, so those repeats stand. Some organizers would swap to avoid them.
Scoring and tiebreakers
USA Pickleball's rules summary (read 1 November 2026) does not mention Americano or Mexicano, so the match total, pairing method and tiebreakers here are house rules. The full rulebook was not checked.
Pickleball is scored differently from padel. The rules summary describes two ways to score: traditional side-out scoring, where points are scored only by the serving team, and rally scoring, where a point is scored after every rally. It does not say which applies when. A match to a fixed combined total, such as 16 or 24, is a house format, described in padel guides. We suggest rally scoring for it, because then every rally adds a point to one side, and the two scores always add up to the match total. Whichever you choose, say it out loud before the first serve.
An order we suggest for ranking an Americano:
A ranking order for an Americano
- Total points won. Padel.fyi describes an Americano's score as calculated individually as a sum of the scores from each round, and the player with the most points wins.
- Point differential: points won minus points conceded across all matches. This is our suggestion.
- Head-to-head: points scored in matches between the tied players. This is our suggestion.
- Still level? Share the rank, or settle it with one short extra game.
The free tool ranks an Americano by points per game, which equals total points when everyone has played the same number of games, then by point difference per game. It ranks a Mexicano the way the app does: points per game, then win percentage, then point difference. In the app, win percentage is wins over all games played, including forfeits. Forfeits count as games, not points. Points per game stays fair when sit-outs leave players with different numbers of games, which raw totals do not.
A player with no scored game yet is ranked as if they had the middle points per game of the field (the upper middle, when the count is even), but with no wins and no point difference. That puts them below anyone level with that figure who has won games. The app has no Americano mode and no fixed match total. It scores each game to a target, such as 11, 15 or 21, and refuses ties.
Adapting padel conventions to pickleball
The sources for both formats are padel guides, so check what changes on a pickleball court.
- Serving. Pickleball serving rules stay as they are. The rules summary says paddle contact with the ball must not be made above waist level, with the server's arm moving in an upward arc, and a drop serve is also permitted. The two-bounce rule still applies.
- The kitchen. The non-volley zone is the area within 7 feet on both sides of the net, and volleying is prohibited within it. There are no walls to play off.
- Side switching. Switching ends partway through is a house choice.
- Match length. Don't copy a padel point total. Set yours from your own clock.
Common mistakes
- Changing the match total mid-night. Totals from different rounds then aren't comparable.
- Recording only the winner. Both scores matter. Without them you can't total anyone's points.
- Running Mexicano from a printed chart. The next round depends on the last result, so it can't be printed ahead.
- Forgetting to explain the scoring. Players used to a game to 11 are surprised when a match ends at 16 total points.
- Too many rounds for the time you have. Count the minutes first.
Running a Mexicano tonight?
The free generator needs no account and runs the night round by round in your browser. PickleCrew's quick play also runs Mexicano for a crew you admin, ranking by points per game over games played to a target. The app has no Americano mode and no fixed match total.
Frequently asked questions
What is Americano in pickleball?
A rotating-partner doubles format where each match is played to a fixed total of points, partners change every round, and every point your team wins counts toward your own total. The player with the most points at the end wins. It is played in padel, and this guide applies it to pickleball.
What are the rules for Americano in pickleball?
There is no official set. USA Pickleball's rules summary doesn't cover the format, so the fixed total, the scoring method and the tiebreakers are house rules you agree before the first serve. The pickleball rules for serving and the kitchen still apply.
How does Americano scoring work?
Each match goes to a fixed total of points. Every point your team wins is added to your own total, and so is each partner's. A losing team still banks the points it scored. Over a full rotation the highest total wins when everyone has played the same number of games.
How does Mexicano work?
Round 1 is a random draw. After that, players are ranked and cut into groups of four, and each group plays one court. Inside a group, 1st and 4th play 2nd and 3rd in PickleCrew's version. Other versions pair 1st and 3rd against 2nd and 4th.
What is the difference between Americano and Mexicano?
Americano follows a rotation fixed before play. Mexicano builds each round from the standings, so players with similar results share a court. Both count points you win.
Is there a pickleball Americano generator?
Yes. PickleCrew's free generator builds an Americano rotation for 4 to 24 players and can also run a Mexicano night round by round. It needs no account.