Major League Pickleball Unveils Comprehensive 2026 Season Schedule

The future of professional team pickleball just got clearer. Major League Pickleball has released its complete schedule for the 2026 season, and it represents a significant evolution in how the league structures its competitive calendar. Running from May 22nd through August 30th, the upcoming season condenses the action into a focused 14-week window that promises to deliver high-intensity pickleball across some of the sport’s most beloved venues and several exciting new locations.

What stands out immediately about this announcement is the strategic balance between familiarity and innovation. The league has clearly listened to feedback from players, fans, and venue partners, creating a schedule that honors successful partnerships from the 2025 season while expanding into new markets that can help grow the sport’s footprint across the United States.

A Closer Look at the Season Structure

The 2026 Major League Pickleball season launches in Dallas at Pickler Universe on May 22nd, establishing what has become one of the circuit’s anchor locations. The choice to begin the season in Texas isn’t arbitrary—Dallas has proven to be a pickleball hotbed with enthusiastic crowds and world-class facilities. Pickler Universe will also host the first round of playoffs in August, bookending the regular season in a venue that clearly holds special significance for the league.

Following the Dallas opener, the circuit moves to Columbus for the second regular season event at Pickle & Chill from May 28-31. This quick turnaround between events sets the tone for what will be an action-packed early summer. The league then heads to St. Louis and Chaifetz Arena for the third stop, followed by Austin Pickle Ranch in mid-June. These venues have established themselves as fan favorites, offering not just excellent playing conditions but also the kind of atmosphere that makes Major League Pickleball special.

The schedule includes nine regular season events total, though notably, the eighth event scheduled for July 23-26 still has its venue listed as to be announced. This leaves room for the league to potentially add a new market or respond to opportunities that may have developed since the initial planning stages. It’s a smart bit of flexibility that allows MLP to maximize its impact as the season progresses.

The Playoff Format Evolution

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the 2026 schedule is the expansion of the playoff structure. The league has added an extra weekend of playoff competition, creating a three-weekend championship run that culminates at CityPickle at Wollman Rink in New York. The playoffs begin August 6-9 back in Dallas at Pickler Universe, then move to San Diego’s Barnes Tennis Center for the second round, before the finals take center stage in Central Park.

This playoff format creates a genuine gauntlet for teams competing for the championship. Rather than a single elimination weekend, teams will need to maintain peak performance across three consecutive weekends in three different cities. The physical and mental demands of this structure will test even the most elite players, and it should produce compelling storylines as teams navigate the pressure of extended playoff competition.

The decision to conclude the season at Wollman Rink deserves special attention. This venue, situated in one of the world’s most iconic urban parks, brings pickleball to the heart of America’s largest media market. The visual spectacle of professional pickleball being played with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop is powerful branding for the sport, and it represents the kind of ambitious venue selection that can help elevate pickleball’s profile nationally.

New Venues and Market Expansion

While returning to proven venues provides stability, the addition of new locations signals the league’s growth trajectory. St. Pete Athletic in St. Petersburg, Florida joins the circuit for the first time, bringing Major League Pickleball to the Tampa Bay area during the June 18-21 weekend. Florida has become one of the most important states for pickleball development, with year-round playing conditions and a population that has embraced the sport enthusiastically.

Newport Beach Tennis and Pickleball Club represents another strategic addition, hosting a regular season event July 16-19. Southern California has always been crucial to pickleball’s growth story, and Newport Beach offers an upscale coastal setting that aligns well with the sport’s demographic appeal. This venue also provides an opportunity to engage with the greater Los Angeles market without the logistical challenges of hosting in the city center.

Perhaps most notable is the addition of ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World for the July 30-August 2 event. This venue choice carries significant implications beyond just adding another stop on the tour. ESPN Wide World of Sports is synonymous with high-level amateur and professional competition across multiple sports, and hosting Major League Pickleball there creates associations with established sporting excellence. The Disney connection also opens possibilities for family-friendly promotion and broader mainstream exposure.

The Mid-Season Tournament Returns

The schedule includes the Mid-Season Tournament running July 8-12 at Belknap Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, once again in conjunction with the Beer City Open. This mid-season showcase has become an important tradition in the MLP calendar, offering a change of pace from regular season competition while maintaining the intensity that defines professional pickleball.

Grand Rapids has proven to be an excellent host city, with strong local support and a community that fully embraces the event. The Beer City Open provides additional context and draws pickleball enthusiasts from across the skill spectrum, creating an atmosphere where professional competition exists alongside broader community engagement with the sport.

Integration of MiLP and Junior MLP

A particularly encouraging aspect of the 2026 schedule is the continued integration of The Dink MiLP and Junior MLP events throughout the calendar. These parallel competitions will take place at select venues, creating a more comprehensive pickleball experience that extends beyond just the professional team competition.

The inclusion of MiLP—focused on amateur team competition—at seven of the twelve scheduled events provides pathways for developing players and recreational enthusiasts to experience high-level team pickleball. This structure mirrors successful models from other sports where amateur and professional competitions coexist, creating opportunities for skill development and community building.

Junior MLP events scheduled at four venues throughout the season represent crucial investment in the sport’s future. By providing young players with exposure to professional competition environments and creating their own team-based tournament structure, Major League Pickleball is actively developing the next generation of talent. These junior events at venues like Austin Pickle Ranch, Sportime Randall’s Island, Pickler Universe during playoffs, and Barnes Tennis Center create clear pathways for youth development.

Understanding Major League Pickleball for Newcomers

If you’re relatively new to pickleball or haven’t followed the professional scene closely, Major League Pickleball might seem complex at first glance. Unlike traditional professional sports where individual athletes or doubles teams compete against each other, MLP uses a team format where franchises draft players and compete throughout a season for a championship.

Think of it as similar to professional tennis’s team competitions like the Laver Cup, but extended across an entire season. Each MLP franchise assembles a roster of professional pickleball players—both men and women—who compete as a team across multiple match formats. The team structure creates different dynamics than individual tournament play, with strategy around player matchups, team chemistry, and cumulative scoring across multiple games all playing crucial roles.

The season structure follows a familiar sports model: regular season events where teams accumulate points and establish seeding, followed by playoffs where the top teams compete for the championship. What makes pickleball’s professional team league particularly interesting is the compressed timeline—the entire season plays out over summer months rather than being spread across a full year. This creates an intense, festival-like atmosphere at each event where multiple matches occur over long weekends.

Each regular season event typically runs Thursday through Sunday, with teams competing in multiple matches that combine men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. The cumulative results determine winners for each event and contribute to season-long standings. By condensing the season into 14 weeks, MLP creates concentrated periods of high-level competition that allow fans to follow the entire narrative arc without the season dragging on indefinitely.

What the Condensed Schedule Means for Competition

The decision to compress the season into 14 weeks has significant implications for how the competition unfolds. Players will need to maintain peak physical condition throughout the summer months, with events happening weekly or near-weekly through much of June and July. This doesn’t leave much time for rest, recovery, or addressing minor injuries that might develop during competition.

From a strategic perspective, the condensed schedule also affects roster management. Teams will need players who can handle the physical demands of repeated competition on short turnarounds. Depth becomes more valuable when there’s limited recovery time between events. The teams that manage player health and maintain consistent performance across the entire 14-week window will have significant advantages as the season progresses into the playoff rounds.

For fans, the compressed schedule creates a more digestible viewing experience. Rather than trying to follow a sport that plays year-round with events scattered across the calendar, the defined season allows for focused attention during the summer months. This structure also avoids competing with major fall and winter sports for attention, carving out pickleball’s own space in the sporting calendar.

Geographic Strategy and Travel Considerations

Looking at the schedule from a geographic perspective reveals thoughtful planning around regional clusters and travel logistics. The season opens in the South and Midwest with Dallas, Columbus, St. Louis, and Austin occupying the first four events. This creates a relatively compact regional footprint for the early season before the schedule expands to different corners of the country.

The mid-to-late season includes coastal swings—St. Petersburg, New York, Newport Beach—interspersed with other locations. This geographic distribution helps build regional fan bases while managing the practical realities of moving players, equipment, and production crews across the country. The ability to create multiple events in relative proximity during certain stretches of the season helps control costs and reduce the physical toll of constant travel on players.

The playoff structure’s geography is particularly strategic. Starting in Dallas, moving to San Diego, and finishing in New York creates a west-to-east progression across major media markets. Each of these playoff locations represents a strong pickleball market with proven fan support, ensuring that the season’s most important matches happen in front of engaged audiences.

Venue Selection Philosophy

The mix of returning venues and new additions reveals MLP’s approach to venue selection. Established locations like Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis and Sportime Randall’s Island in New York have proven they can handle the logistical demands of hosting Major League Pickleball while providing excellent player and fan experiences. These venues return because they work—the facilities are appropriate, local support is strong, and the events have been successful.

New venues need to meet similar criteria while also expanding the league’s geographic reach or market penetration. St. Pete Athletic, Newport Beach Tennis and Pickleball Club, and ESPN Wide World of Sports each bring something specific to the schedule. St. Pete provides a Florida presence outside the traditional South Florida markets. Newport Beach offers Southern California exposure with a specific demographic appeal. ESPN Wide World of Sports brings Disney’s operational expertise and brand association.

The one TBA venue slot in the schedule provides flexibility to respond to opportunities or challenges that emerge. Perhaps a new facility opens that would be perfect for MLP, or a market expresses strong interest in hosting. Leaving one event unannounced at the time of the schedule release allows the league to make a strategic decision based on factors that may not be apparent months in advance.

Looking Ahead

The 2026 Major League Pickleball schedule represents a maturing league that’s finding its identity and structure. The 14-week compressed season, the expanded playoff format, the balance of established and new venues, and the integration of amateur and junior events all point toward a league that’s thinking comprehensively about its role in pickleball’s ecosystem.

As the season approaches, the focus will shift to roster moves, player signings, and team strategies for the upcoming campaign. But the schedule itself provides the framework for what promises to be an exciting summer of professional team pickleball. From the May opening in Dallas through the August championship in Central Park, the 2026 season offers a clear narrative structure that fans can follow and engage with throughout the summer months.

The venues selected will showcase pickleball in diverse settings across the country, from Texas to Florida to California to New York. The playoff structure will create genuine drama and test teams across multiple high-pressure weekends. And the integration of MiLP and Junior MLP events will create pathways for player development and community engagement beyond just the professional competition.

For a sport that has experienced explosive growth in recent years, having a professional league with a coherent season structure, quality venues, and clear competitive stakes is important for continued development. The 2026 Major League Pickleball schedule delivers on all these fronts, setting the stage for what should be a compelling season of team-based professional pickleball competition.