Pickleball fans, get ready because November in Dallas just got even bigger.
Major League Pickleball (MLP) has announced the inaugural MLP Nations Cup, taking place immediately before the 2026 Opendoor Pickleball World Championships in Farmers Branch, Texas.
And if you've never been to Worlds before... you're seriously missing out.
The event is absolutely massive. Imagine the energy of the US Open in Naples, but on an even larger scale. Yes, spectator tickets aren't free, but there is so much happening beyond the matches that it's worth every penny. Expect live music, vendor villages, sponsor activations, free swag, great food and drinks, and thousands of pickleball fanatics all in one place. Even when you're not playing or watching matches, there's no shortage of things to do.
Now they're turning the excitement up another notch with the MLP Nations Cup, which just happens to start on October 30... my birthday! 🎉
As an added bonus, an MiLP team tournament will be running alongside the event, giving amateur players a chance to compete while the world's best players battle for international bragging rights.
🌎 MLP Nations Cup Teams
Group A
🇺🇸 Team USA: Tyra Black; Anna Bright; Kate Fahey; Ben Johns; CJ Klinger; Will Howells… Captain Johnny Goldberg
🇨🇦 Team Canada: Victoria DiMuzio; Blaine Hovenier; Armaan Jiwa Mawji; Layne Sleeth; Ryan Torresin; Angie Walker… Captain Steve Deakin
🇪🇺 Team Europe West: Judit Castillo (Spain); Helena Jansen (Spain); Will MacKinnon (Scotland); Theo Platel (France); Estee Widdershoven (Belgium); DJ Young (Spain)… Captain Chris Cantino
🌏 Team Asia Domestic: Augie Ge (China); Milan Rane (India); Jonathan Truong (Vietnam); Zoey Wang (Chinese Taipei); Jamie Wei (Chinese Taipei); Len Yang (China)… Captains Geoffrey Nguyen & Jeff Tsao
Group B
🇦🇺 Team Australia: Sarah Burr; Chris Crouch; Sahra Dennehy; Mitch Hargreaves; Danni-Elle Townsend; George Wall… Captain Sange Carter
🌏 Team Asia International: Rika Fujiwara (Japan); Lingwei Kong (China); Jimmy Liong (Malaysia); Hien Truong (Vietnam); Jack Wong (Hong Kong, China); Macy Ybanez (Philippines)… Captain Madeleine Lim
🇪🇺 Team Europe East: Mikolaj Biedermann (Poland); Andrei Daescu (Romania); Arwid Dahlin (Sweden); Lina Padegimaite (Lithuania); Tina Pisnik (Slovenia); Daria Walczak (Poland)… Captain Caleb Garrard
🌎 Team Latin America: Nico Acevedo (Chile); Mari Humberg (Brazil); Rafa Lenhard (Brazil); Eric Oncins (Brazil); Alexa Schull (Puerto Rico); Charlie Trevino (Mexico)… Captain Juan Manuel Benitez
The USA squad is obviously loaded, but there are some serious international stars spread across the other teams. It'll be fun to see how the different countries match up in a true team-format competition.
If you're already planning a trip to Worlds, the Nations Cup gives you another reason to arrive early. If you're on the fence about attending, this might be the year to pull the trigger. Dallas is shaping up to be the center of the pickleball universe for a couple of weeks.