The United Pickleball Association has announced the UPA International Championship Series, which includes five tour stops in 2025. This is a chance to expand the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball brands outside of the United States while growing the game on a global level.
For the first time, some of the top UPA-signed exclusive players will be playing in PPA Tour tournaments held in international locations alongside some of the best regional players in the world, while also earning PPA Tour Points.
Here are the five stops:
- Australia Pickleball Open - Melbourne, Australia - Jan. 29-Feb. 2: The inaugural international event kicks off the series in late January, hosted by PPA Tour Australia
- India Pickleball Open - Mumbai, India - Feb. 5-9: Following Melbourne, the series moves to Mumbai, India, hosted by PPA Tour India
- Canada Pickleball Open - Toronto, Canada in September: Pro pickleball heads to the Great White North.
- Asia Pickleball Open - TBA, Asia in October: The fourth event in October expands the series' reach and participation within Asia, with the exact location to be announced, hosted by PPA Tour Asia
- Europe Pickleball Open - TBA, Europe in October: The fifth event is scheduled for October at a European venue yet to be announced
The UPA has announced some big-name players who will be playing in the UPA International Championship Series
- Ben Johns (USA)
- Anna Leigh Waters (USA)
- Catherine Parenteau (Canada)
- Federico Staksrud (Argentina)
- Anna Bright (USA)
- Jay Devilliers (France)
- Lucy Kovalova (Slovakia)
- Tina Pisnik (Slovenia)
- Quang Duong (Vietnam)
More players will be announced as we get closer to the 2025 season.
"The United Pickleball Association – the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball – has set the standard for the professional game and is excited to bring the best players and events in the world to new corners of the globe in the first true international pro pickleball tour," said Anne Worcester, UPA Strategic Advisor, former CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), and former President of UTR Sports. "We are extremely discerning in selecting partners for these joint ventures, and continue to have conversations with interested organizations. The expertise offered by our operational partners is unmatched in their regions and, combined with the proven business model and brand recognition the PPA Tour and MLP provide, will elevate this new series immediately."
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The series is unique in that each event will be operated between the UPA and leading operational organizations in each country. This will help elevate these five tour stops by leveraging the brand of the PPA Tour, while also utilizing the local expertise of organizations in each region.
As we look at pickleball on a global scale, this is a large step for the UPA. The UPA has already partnered with Pacific Pickleball (now PPA/MLP Australia) in Australia, and Global Sports in India, with more partnerships to be named in the future.
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It is steps like this one that will continue to grow the game internationally and bring pickleball one step closer to becoming an Olympic sport.
Additionally, this is great for the international pickleball players who want to see if they have what it takes to compete against the best of the best in the sport. With top-level pros from the PPA Tour attending each event, each region’s best will see how they stack up against the world’s best and earn valuable PPA Points.
Future plans include adding the unique co-ed team format of Major League Pickleball to the international series, with details to be announced in the future.