The first ever Major League Pickleball (MLP) Cup is nearly underway at the Brookhaven Country Club, just outside Dallas, Texas.

The MLP Cup was announced in January, but very few details were given. Because this is a first of its kind event for MLP, obviously some details and planning needed to be worked out.

It feels weird writing this, but the MLP Cup feels like it crept up on us. The MLP Finals were literally just over two months ago in New York City. Since then, the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour has held five events.

Now it is time for the Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships, the biggest event on the PPA Tour. MLP Cup is the kick-off event for the World Championships, and follows in the footsteps of other prominent leagues in a standalone cup event, just like the NBA has done recently.

Participants

There are a total of 23 teams participating in the MLP Cup. 17 teams are competing in the Premier Level and six are competing in the Challenger Level.

The 17 teams in Premier Level consist of the 16 teams that were in Premier Level during the 2025 MLP season and the Las Vegas Night Owls, who won the Challenger Level in the MLP Finals.

In the Challenger Level, four teams from the 2025 season Challenger Level are competing, along with a Collegiate All-Star team. Of note, the Collegiate World Championship will be taking place at the same time as the MLP Cup at the same venue, with $16k in prize money and 6 spots to the Collegiate National Championship on the line.

Additionally, the Nashville Chefs, who were runners-up in 2025 Challenger Level, are not playing in the MLP Cup, due to financial issues. Instead, a Junior All-Star team has been constructed, consisting of Tama Shimabukuro, Camden Chaffin, Elsie Hendershot, and Ella Yeh - all recently signed Junior PPA players.

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Format

The format is fairly simple. In each level, there will be pool play, followed by a single elimination playoff.

In Premier Level, the winners of each pool will advance to the semi-finals, where they will play in a single elimination match, with the winners moving on to the finals.

Premier Level Pools

Challenger Level Pools

Match Schedule & How to Watch MLP Cup

All matches will air live on Pickleballtv and the Pickleballtv app. Additionally, the following regional options will be available in the Dallas/Fort Worth area:

Friday, October 31

1-4 p.m. ET on KDFW Fox 4 (Dallas/Ft. Worth)

Saturday, November 1

3-7 p.m. ET on KDFW Fox 4 (Dallas/Ft. Worth)

Sunday, November 2

4-6 p.m. ET on KDFW Fox 4 (Dallas/Ft. Worth)

Weather Outlook

Weather is looking perfect for the long weekend of MLP excitement. There is a slight chance of rain on Saturday, but it doesn't look too worrisome. Highs in the low 70s and high 60s mean the Vulcan VPro Flight will be playing a little faster than usual, despite humidity levels near 70%.

The MLP Cup caps off the 2025 MLP season with one more weekend of competition and sets the stage for the PPA World Championships. This should make for an exciting weekend of play. I will actually be commentating some Championship Court matches this weekend in Farmers Branch, so if you are at the event, stop and say hi!