Pro Pickleball Tours Explained: PPA Tour vs MLP vs APP (2026)
A pro pickleball tour, in 2026, is not one league with one bracket. When people look up professional pickleball tournaments, they are usually looking at three organizations: the PPA Tour, Major League Pickleball (MLP), and the APP Tour.
In 2024, MLP and the PPA Tour merged under a parent entity, the United Pickleball Association (UPA). They remain separate brands with different formats. The APP Tour is independent of the UPA. It keeps its own rankings and its own broadcast partners.
This page covers how each pro pickleball tour works, where the pro pickleball schedule is published, how to watch, how to attend, and how amateurs enter a bracket at the same stop. WherePickleball does not list pro events or sell tickets. Dates move. Check the official page again before you travel.
Jump to a section:- How the pro pickleball tours compare
- PPA Tour
- Major League Pickleball
- APP Tour
- How to watch
- Pro pickleball schedule
- Attending in person
- Amateur brackets at pro events
- FAQ
How the pro pickleball tours compare
The PPA Tour is an individual bracket circuit. MLP is a coed team league. The APP Tour is a separate pro circuit that also opens divisions to amateurs. Many top players compete on both the PPA Tour and MLP. The APP Tour does not sit under the UPA.
| Topic | PPA Tour | MLP | APP Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Singles, doubles, and mixed brackets | Coed teams. Four games, then a DreamBreaker if tied | Pro divisions plus amateur brackets |
| Who runs it | UPA brand, with MLP, since 2024. Separate format | UPA brand, with the PPA Tour, since 2024. Separate format | Association of Pickleball Players. Not part of the UPA |
| Season shape | 2026-27 opened Aug. 31 to Sep. 6, 2026. Challenger through Worlds | May through August 2026, then playoffs. MLP Cup is Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 | 8th full season. Published TV stops run into December |
| Where to watch | Every round on PickleballTV. Some windows on Tennis Channel, FS1, and FS2 | Live on PickleballTV. Matches posted later on the MLP YouTube channel | 2026 national TV announced on CBS Sports and ESPN, plus livestreaming |
| Can amateurs play? | Yes. Amateur brackets the same week, on the same courts | No. It is a pro team league; fans attend and watch | Yes. Amateur divisions of all ages and skills, next to the pros |
The PPA lists $5,235,943 in combined prize money and appearance fees for the 2026 season.
PPA Tour: professional pickleball tournaments
The Carvana PPA Tour (ppatour.com) is an individual bracket tour. Pro draws are men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. The tour was founded in 2019.
The 2026-27 season opened August 31 to September 6, 2026, with the Veolia Pickleball National Championships at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina. The PPA Finals in San Clemente, California, are on the 2026-27 schedule. Check the PPA site for the Finals date before you plan around it.
In August 2026 the tour launched unified World Pickleball Rankings. Those rankings count every PPA-umbrella event worldwide, including PPA Asia, PPA Australia, and the newer PPA Canada and PPA Italy.
Ranking points follow the event tier:
| Tier | Ranking points |
|---|---|
| Worlds | 3,000 |
| Slams | 2,000 |
| Cups | 1,500 |
| Opens | 1,000 |
| Challenger series | 125 to 500 |
Every PPA tournament also runs amateur brackets across ages and skill levels, on the same courts, the same week as the pros. How to enter one is below.
Major League Pickleball: teams, MLPlay, and the DreamBreaker
Major League Pickleball is a coed team league founded in 2021. As of 2026 there are 20 teams, all at one level.
Each team match uses the MLPlay format. The match is four games: women's doubles, men's doubles, then two mixed doubles. If the match is tied 2-2, the teams play a DreamBreaker. One player from each team plays singles, and the players rotate every four points. The game is first to 21, win by two.
The 2026 season ran from May through August:
- Nine regular-season events in team markets. The season opened in Dallas on May 22 to 25.
- A Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 8 to 12.
- The regular-season finale at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, July 30 to August 2.
- Three rounds of playoffs. Published stops include Dallas on August 6 to 9 and Newport Beach, California, on August 13 to 16.
- The Finals in New York City's Central Park, at Wollman Rink, August 28 to 30. Public courts in the city are on the New York page.
The fall event is still ahead. The MLP Cup is at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, in the Dallas area, October 30 to November 1, 2026, on PickleballTV. Public courts nearby are on the Dallas and Texas pages. Those pages are not the event.
All MLP events stream live on PickleballTV. Matches are posted afterward on the MLP YouTube channel. MLP tickets have been sold through Tixr and Ticketmaster. This site does not sell them and does not publish prices. Start from the official MLP page.
DUPR powers ratings for recreational play, for MLP, and for the PPA Tour. The scale runs from 2.00 to 8.00.
APP Tour: the independent circuit
The APP Tour is run by the Association of Pickleball Players (theapp.global). It is independent of the UPA. It has its own rankings and its own broadcast partners. 2026 is its 8th full season.
APP announced 2026 national TV coverage on CBS Sports and ESPN, plus livestreaming. Check theapp.global for which outlet carries a given event.
APP Tour events are open to amateurs of all ages and skill levels alongside the pro divisions. The tour also runs pro senior divisions: AARP Champions (50+) and AARP Masters (60+). Those senior divisions are pro divisions, not the amateur draw. APP Next is the player-development tour for athletes 23 and under, with events at Chicken N Pickle venues.
How to watch pro pickleball
PickleballTV streams every round of every PPA Tour event. Select windows also air on Tennis Channel, FS1, and FS2. The channel for a given match changes by event. The PPA TV schedule is at ppatour.com/watch/.
PickleballTV is a free, ad-supported channel on Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Fire TV Channels, Plex, and Local Now. It is also carried on Fubo, which is a paid subscription service. Steps are on how to stream PickleballTV.
MLP uses that same live channel. All MLP events stream on PickleballTV, and matches are posted later on the MLP YouTube channel.
APP's 2026 national coverage was announced on CBS Sports and ESPN, with livestreaming alongside it. Do not assume an APP match is on PickleballTV unless that event's page says so.
Pro pickleball schedule: what is published right now
The dates below are as published at the time of writing, October 10, 2026. They can change. WherePickleball does not keep a live pro pickleball schedule. Confirm the event on ppatour.com/watch, majorleaguepickleball.co, or theapp.global before you book travel.
| Dates | Event | Tour | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 5 to 11 | Veolia Chicago Cup | PPA | Life Time North Shore, Chicago | Cup, 1,500 points. Semifinals Oct. 10, Championship Sunday Oct. 11 |
| Oct. 15 to 18 | Virginia Beach Open | PPA | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Open, 1,000 points |
| Oct. 15 to 18 | Humana APP Louisville Open | APP | Louisville, Kentucky | On the revised televised calendar |
| Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 | MLP Cup | MLP | Brookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch, Texas (Dallas area) | On PickleballTV |
| Nov. 3 to 8 | Opendoor Pickleball World Championships | PPA | Brookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch, Texas | Worlds, 3,000 points |
| Nov. 12 to 15 | APP Arizona Open | APP | Mesa, Arizona | On the revised televised calendar |
| Dec. 3 to 6 | APP Tour Championships | APP | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | On the revised televised calendar |
The Virginia Beach Open and the Humana APP Louisville Open are both published for October 15 to 18, on different tours. The MLP Cup and the Opendoor Worlds are both at Brookhaven Country Club, on back-to-back weeks. The PPA Finals in San Clemente are on the 2026-27 schedule, without a date fixed in this article. MLP's May-to-August season, including the Central Park Finals, is already over. Louisville has no city page in this directory. The Kentucky courts page maps courts, not the APP event.
How to attend a professional pickleball tournament
WherePickleball does not sell tickets to pro pickleball tournaments. The official event page is where you check tickets, the daily order of play, parking, and whether early rounds are open to spectators.
- Start from the organizer. MLP tickets have been sold through Tixr and Ticketmaster. Use the link on the official event page, not a copied price.
- Outdoor stops mean sun and time on your feet. Bring sun protection and water.
- Early rounds are usually less crowded than medal matches. Go earlier in the day if you want more room.
- Add local play on the same trip. The court finder maps public courts and does not list the pro schedule. Open play is in the clubs and leagues guide. Trip ideas are in best cities for pickleball in 2026.
State maps for extra courts around these stops: Illinois, Virginia, Texas, Arizona, Florida, California, North Carolina, and Michigan. Confirm any open-play time with the venue. A court pin is not a ticket.
Play where the pros play: amateur brackets at pro events
At a PPA tournament, amateur brackets run across ages and skill levels on the same courts, the same week as the pros. APP Tour events are open to amateurs of all ages and skill levels alongside the pro divisions, separate from the AARP Champions and AARP Masters pro senior divisions.
MLP is a pro team league, so there is no amateur bracket inside an MLP match. You can still buy a ticket and watch.
Entering an amateur bracket at a pro stop usually takes a rating that fits the division and registration on the event's official page. The page says which rating it checks, and whether the number is a cap or a minimum. DUPR (2.00 to 8.00) powers ratings for recreational play, MLP, and the PPA Tour. Some events use a different check.
Divisions, membership, and registration are in the tournament guide and on the tournaments hub. Nothing here promises that an amateur result qualifies you for a pro draw.
For doubles, read doubles communication. For a singles bracket, read singles strategy. Standard match scoring is in the scoring rules guide. The DreamBreaker is separate: first to 21, win by two, and only as that MLP tiebreak. Terms such as kitchen and side-out are in the glossary.
Pro pickleball tour FAQ
What is the biggest pro pickleball tour?
No official ranking crowns one. The PPA Tour is the UPA's individual circuit, with Worlds at 3,000 points and $5,235,943 in combined 2026 prize money and appearance fees. MLP is the UPA's team league (20 teams in 2026). The APP Tour is separate, in its 8th full season, with its own rankings.
Is MLP part of the PPA?
Since 2024, both sit under the United Pickleball Association as separate brands. An MLP team match is not a PPA bracket. Many top players play both.
How do I watch pro pickleball for free?
PickleballTV is a free ad-supported channel and streams every PPA round and every MLP event live. You can watch it at no cost on Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Fire TV Channels, Plex, and Local Now; Fubo also carries it with a paid subscription. Selected PPA windows air on Tennis Channel, FS1, and FS2. APP's announced coverage is CBS Sports, ESPN, and livestreaming.
Can amateurs play in pro tournaments?
At PPA and APP stops, yes, in amateur divisions, if your rating fits and you register on the official page. That is not the pro draw. MLP has no amateur bracket. Use the tournament guide for registration details.
When is the pro pickleball season?
The PPA 2026-27 season opened August 31 to September 6, 2026, with published events into November and the San Clemente Finals still on the schedule. MLP's team season was May through August, plus the MLP Cup on October 30 to November 1. APP's remaining published TV stops run from mid-October through December 3 to 6. Dates can change.
What is a DreamBreaker?
It is the MLP singles tiebreak when a team match is tied 2-2. One player per team, rotating every four points, first to 21, win by two.
To watch, use the official schedule and PickleballTV. To play, enter a division you fit, then use the tournaments hub and the court finder for practice courts near the stop. Pick one stop, watch a session, and enter the amateur bracket that matches your rating.