Pickleball tournaments are popping up all across the United States and the world, which is no surprise given that the sport of pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country. There are many things pickleball players could look for in a pickleball tournament. One thing that may be important to pickleball players is the size of the pickleball tournament (which could also tend to correlate with quality). Some of the largest pickleball tournaments across the world include, among others:
- USA Pickleball National Championships
- US Open Pickleball Championships
- Pro Pickleball Events (PPA Tour, APP Tour & Major League Pickleball)
USA Pickleball National Championships and Other Pickleball Tournaments
USA Pickleball, the governing body for the sport of pickleball in the United States, organizes the premiere pickleball tournament in the world, which is the USA Pickleball National Championships. The USA Pickleball National Championships are held in Indian Wells, California at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. This event is surely the crown jewel of pickleball tournaments.
To play in the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships, which will be held from November 4th, 2023 through November 12th, 2023, you must either earn “pre-registration” through your success at another pickleball tournament or enter into and win a lottery draw. (*The following process is still subject to ongoing information and details to be released from USA Pickleball. As a result, this process is subject to change.)
- Pre-Registration – Guaranteed Entry: To guarantee your place at the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships, you must win a gold medal at any of the following events:
- 2023 APP Daytona Beach, FL – February 8-12
- 2023 APP Mesa, AZ – March 29-April 3
- 2023 APP Cincinnati, OH – May 10-14
- 2023 APP New York City, NY – May 24-28
- 2023 USA Pickleball Newport Beach Championships – June 28-July 2
- 2022 Diamond Amateur Championship in Daytona Beach, FL (concluded)
- Lottery – Random Draw: To be placed into the lottery for the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships (which will have two phases), you must:
- Phase 1: Win a silver or bronze medal at 2022 Diamond Amateur Championship in Daytona Beach, FL (concluded)
- Phase 2: Either win (i) any medal (gold, silver, or bronze) at any 2023 USA Pickleball Regional tournament or (ii) a silver or bronze medal at any of the pickleball tournaments listed above
To be eligible for the Diamond Amateur Championship, it is important to play in the USA Pickleball Regional tournaments. Gold and silver medalists at each USA Pickleball Regional tournament will earn pre-registration to the Diamond Amateur Championship. All other participants at a USA Pickleball Regional tournament will be placed in a lottery for the Diamond Amateur Championships. Again, the Diamond Amateur Championship is important because all gold medalists from the Diamond Amateur Championship will earn pre-registration to the USA Pickleball National Championships in the following calendar year, and all silver and bronze medalists will be placed into the lottery.
For a complete list of the USA Pickleball Regional tournaments and the USA Pickleball National Championship Series for the 2023 calendar year, see below:
- February 8-12: APP Daytona Beach, FL
- February 28-March 5: Southwest Regional
- March 29-April 3: APP Mesa, AZ
- March 31-April 2: Atlantic Regional
- April 17-April 22: Mountain Regional
- May 4-May 7: Mid-South Regional
- May 10-14: APP Cincinnati, OH
- May 24-28: APP New York City, NY
- June 1-June 4: North Mid-Atlantic Regional
- June 6-June 11: Atlantic South Regional
- June 9-June 15: Great Plains Regional
- June 28-July 2: USA Pickleball Newport Beach Championships
- TBD:
- Mid-Atlantic Regional
- Great Lakes Regional
- Pacific NW Regional
- West Regional
- 2023 Diamond Amateur Championship
US Open Pickleball Championships
The US Open Pickleball Championships was first held in Naples, Florida in 2016. Since then, the US Open Pickleball Championships has “changed the game” in terms of pickleball tournaments and continues to outdo itself every year. In fact, the US Open Pickleball Championships has over tripled in size since its inception, which may be due to this event’s “good times” atmosphere. The US Open Pickleball Championships should be on your pickleball tournament bucket list, as the event is widely known as a weeklong pickleball party. The US Open for the 2023 calendar year will be held April 15th through April 22nd.
Pro Pickleball Tournaments & Events
The 2020 calendar year marked the inaugural year for both of the premiere pro pickleball tours – the Professional Pickleball Association (also known as the PPA) and the Association of Pickleball Professionals (also known as the APP). The PPA markets itself as the pro tour where the pros play, while the APP positions itself as the pro tour where everyone plays (and is the official pickleball tour of USA Pickleball). While both tours draw great pro pickleball players, the PPA has put up larger cash prizes for pro pickleball players to date, as well as signed many of the top pickleball players to semi-exclusive contracts to lock them in to PPA events across the country. Further, the PPA has merged with the 2021 start-up Major League Pickleball, which is a team-focused pickleball league with marquee investors. Major League Pickleball (MLP) will also hold six events on the 2023 calendar year, leading into its 2024 season that will feature 24 teams and a promotion and relegation system.
Both pro pickleball tours (PPA and APP) and MLP plan to continue their growth within the sport of pickleball during the 2023 calendar year. In fact, there will be about 50 pro pickleball tournaments and events in the 2023 calendar year!
For a complete rundown of all pro pickleball tournaments and events in the 2023 calendar year, see the chronological list below, or check out the calendars above in this pickleball blog. (*Dates may be subject to change by the organizers.)
- January 11-15: APP – Punta Gorda Open – Punta Gorda, FL
- January 12-15: PPA – The Masters – Rancho Mirage, CA
- January 26-29: MLP – Mesa, AZ
- February 1-5: PPA – Desert Ridge Open – Phoenix, AZ
- February 8-12: APP – Daytona Beach Open – Daytona Beach, FL
- February 15-19: PPA – Arizona Grand Slam – Mesa, AZ
- February 23-26: PPA – Indoor National Championships – Lakeville, MN
- March 9-12: PPA – Florida Open – Daytona Beach, FL
- March 15-19: APP – San Diego, CA
- March 16-19: PPA – Austin Showdown – Austin, TX
- March 23-26: MLP – Daytona Beach, FL
- March 29-April 2: APP – Mesa, AZ
- April 4-8: PPA – Red Rock Open – St. George, UT
- April 20-23: PPA – San Diego Open – San Diego, CA
- April 26-30: APP – Sacramento, CA
- May 4-7: PPA – North Carolina Open, Charlotte, NC
- May 10-14: APP – Cincinnati, OH
- May 18-21: PPA – Atlanta Open – Peachtree Corners, GA
- May 24-28: APP – New York City, NY
- May 25-28: PPA – Texas Open – Dallas, TX
- June 8-11: PPA – Orange County Cup – San Clemente, CA
- June 15-19: MLP – San Clemente, CA (including Season 1 Championship)
- June 21-25: APP – San Jose, CA
- June 22-25: PPA – Nashville Open – Nashville, TN
- July 13-16: PPA – Denver Open – Denver, CO
- July 27-30: PPA – Seattle Open – Seattle, WA
- August 3-6: PPA – The Showcase – Newport Beach, CA
- August 17-20: PPA – Tournament of Champions – Brigham City, UT
- August 23-27: APP – Philadelphia, PA
- August 24-27: PPA – Kansas City Open – Kansas City, MO
- August 30-September 3: APP – Chicago, IL
- September 6-10: APP – Avalon, NJ
- September 7-10: PPA – Cincinnati Open – Cincinnati, OH
- September 21-24: MLP – Peachtree Corners, GA
- September 27-October 1: APP – Atlanta, GA
- October 4-8: APP – Dallas, TX
- October 5-8: PPA: The Championship – Las Vegas, NV
- October 12-15: PPA – CIBC Cup (USA v. World) – Boca Raton, FL
- October 25-29: APP – Hilton Head, SC
- October 26-29: PPA – World Championships – Rockwall, TX
- November 2-5: MLP – La Quinta, CA
- November 16-19: PPA – National Championships – Orlando, FL
- November 29-December 3: APP – Houston, TX
- November 30-December 3: PPA – The Finals – San Clemente, CA
- December 7-11: MLP – San Clemente, CA (including Season 2 Championship)
- December 14-17: PPA – All-Star Week – Las Vegas, NV
Local Pickleball Tournaments
In addition to these large pickleball tournaments, there are also hundreds of other pickleball tournaments across the United States and across the world. These other pickleball tournaments are both large and small, and many are organized by local pickleball clubs and pickleball communities. It is important to support these local pickleball tournaments because the local grassroots effort is how the sport of pickleball will continue to grow and evolve. For instance, some of these local pickleball tournaments are organized to raise money to invest in new pickleball courts or provide pickleball equipment to schools. Be on the lookout for local pickleball tournaments near you!
How to Sign Up for a Pickleball Tournament
PickleballTournaments.com handles all of the sign-up for the large pickleball tournaments. As a result, if you are interested in playing in one of these mentioned large pickleball tournaments, you will need to register using PickleballTournaments.com. This is the same platform that many other local pickleball tournaments use. However, there are also a handful of other platforms that feature pickleball tournaments, such as Pickleball.Global.
Pickleball Tournament Tips
Pickleball tournaments can be a fun way to test your skills on the court. However, playing competitive pickleball in a pickleball tournament is very different than playing recreational pickleball, as there can be added pressure, lots of starts and stops throughout the day, and different pickleball rules to be concerned with. As a result, it is important to prepare yourself both physically and mentally if you decide to play in any of these pickleball tournaments. Pickler is here to help! Check out Pickler’s pickleball newsletter, blogs, social media, e-books, and online video lessons to elevate your pickleball skills and strategy on the pickleball court!
