How to Watch the 2026 MLP Finals: Schedule, TV, Streams

The 2026 MLP Finals hit NYC's Central Park August 28-30 with four teams left standing. Here is the full schedule, how to watch on CBS, MSG, Tennis Channel and PickleballTV, and the storylines that will decide the title.

The 2026 MLP Finals land in Central Park this weekend, and the season could not have produced a better final four. The DoorDash MLP Finals, powered by Toray, run Friday, August 28 through Sunday, August 30 at CityPickle at Wollman Rink, with the New Jersey 5s, Brooklyn Pickleball Team, St. Louis Shock, and Dallas Flash playing for the title.

Two best-of-three semifinal series. A championship series decided on network TV. And a New York team in the building.

Here is everything you need: the schedule, every channel and stream, and the five storylines that will decide who lifts the trophy Sunday.

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The 2026 MLP Finals at a glance

What: 2026 DoorDash MLP Finals
When: Friday, August 28 through Sunday, August 30
Where: CityPickle at Wollman Rink, Central Park, New York City
Semifinals: #1 New Jersey 5s vs. #5 Brooklyn Pickleball Team, and #2 St. Louis Shock vs. #6 Dallas Flash, both best-of-three series
Finals: Teams TBD, best-of-three series
How to watch: Every match streams on PickleballTV and the PickleballTV app, with TV coverage on MSG (Friday and Saturday), CBS (Sunday), and Tennis Channel (Sunday)

Who’s playing in the 2026 MLP Finals?

Four teams survived the Newport Beach quarterfinals, and two of them got there by upset, knocking out the #3 and #4 seeds.

The New Jersey 5s, led by Anna Leigh Waters and Federico Staksrud, enter as the top seed after winning the regular season title. They draw the #5 Brooklyn Pickleball Team of Christian Alshon, Riley Newman, Rachel Rohrabacher, and Jackie Kawamoto, who will be playing a few subway stops from home.

On the other side, the #2 St. Louis Shock (Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio, Kate Fahey) meet the #6 Dallas Flash, the JW Johnson-led group that just ended the LA Mad Drops’ season.

Every series this weekend is best of three. Win two matches, move on.

What’s the schedule for MLP Finals weekend?

All times Eastern. Because every round is a best-of-three series, exact match times shift depending on results, so check the official MLP event guide or MLP’s social channels for the latest before you tune in.

Friday, August 28 (12-6 p.m. ET): The semifinals begin, with New Jersey vs. Brooklyn and St. Louis vs. Dallas getting their series started. Dallas and St. Louis play at noon and around 3pm - they play two semifinals today.
Saturday, August 29 (10 a.m.-4 p.m. ET): Match 2 of the New Jersey vs. Brooklyn matchup starts at 10 a.m., followed by any deciding Match 3s. Depending on how fast the semis wrap, the championship series could begin the same day.
Sunday, August 30 (from 12 p.m. ET): Championship Sunday. The title series resumes at noon, with a deciding match to follow if the series is even.

How can you watch the MLP Finals on TV and streaming?

Every match, all weekend, streams live on PickleballTV and the PickleballTV app. That is your one-stop option if you just want it all.

The TV picture is bigger than usual, and that is the point of playing this event in New York:

Friday and Saturday: Coverage airs on MSG alongside the PickleballTV stream.
Sunday, 12-1 p.m. ET: The championship airs in an exclusive window on CBS. Broadcast network, championship pickleball, noon on a Sunday.
Sunday, 2-4 p.m. ET: Tennis Channel picks up coverage, with PickleballTV carrying the rest of the day.

You can also find the weekend’s broadcast windows listed on CBS Sports’ pickleball live stream schedule.

5 storylines that will decide the title

1. The 5s are one series from the match they’ve waited a year for

New Jersey lost last year’s final, and the team that beat them (Columbus) is already out. A title would be the cleanest possible answer, and Anna Leigh Waters remains the most feared player on any court she steps on.

But there is a real question mark. Waters and Noe Khlif dropped both mixed doubles games in the quarterfinal win over Palm Beach, the first time Waters has lost consecutive games to the same opponent since last year’s finals. Does New Jersey stay the course in mixed, or shake up the lineup with the season on the line?

2. Brooklyn is the home team, and the team nobody wanted

The #5 seed comes in dangerous. Brooklyn eliminated the defending champion Columbus Sliders in Newport Beach, a run that came with Riley Newman just back from a bone bruise and Rachel Rohrabacher managing an ankle injury. Yahoo Sports profiled how Columbus won it all last season; Brooklyn is the team that ended that reign.

Now they get a Finals crowd in their own city. Wollman Rink will not be neutral ground.

3. St. Louis has looked like the best team in the field

The Shock did not just beat the Texas Ranchers in the quarterfinals. They swept them, 3-0 in both matches, behind Anna Bright, whose point-by-point decision making has been the engine of one of MLP’s elite franchises. Our own Erik Tice picked the Shock to win it all in his full Finals preview.

4. Dallas is the chaos entry

The Flash remade their roster midseason, adding Danni-Elle Townsend and Alix Truong, and it has worked. As the six seed they took out third-seeded LA, with JW Johnson and Augie Ge dominating the decisive match. Nobody left in the bracket wants to see a team playing with house money.

5. It might all come down to a Dreambreaker

Under MLP’s 2026 format, every match features women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and two mixed doubles games. Tied 2-2, and it goes to a Dreambreaker: rotating singles, race to 21, no partner to lean on. New Jersey already needed one to survive Palm Beach, and with four evenly matched teams, expect at least one this weekend to decide somebody’s season.

Watch Zane and Nico discuss the MLP Finals on the PicklePod.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time do the MLP Finals start on Sunday?

The championship coverage begins at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 30, airing exclusively on CBS from 12-1 p.m. Tennis Channel carries coverage from 2-4 p.m. ET, and PickleballTV streams throughout the day.

What is a DreamBreaker?

A DreamBreaker is MLP’s tiebreaker, played when a team match is tied 2-2. It is a singles game with rally scoring to 21, with players from each roster rotating in for short shifts. It is the highest-pressure format in team pickleball, and it has already decided playoff matches this postseason.

Who won the MLP title last year?

The Columbus Sliders won the 2025 MLP championship, beating the New Jersey 5s in the final. They will not repeat: Brooklyn eliminated them in this year’s quarterfinals at Newport Beach.

Can you still attend the MLP Finals in person?

Yes, tickets, including Courtside and VIP passes, are sold through Tixr via the official MLP event page. Check-in at Wollman Rink opens one hour before each day’s first match, and the venue enforces a one-bag policy (max 12”W x 12”H x 16”L).

The takeaway

Four teams, three days, one court in the middle of Central Park, and a champion crowned on CBS. Whether you are courtside at Wollman Rink or streaming from your couch, the 2026 MLP Finals are the easiest pickleball watch of the year to plan: PickleballTV all weekend, MSG Friday and Saturday, CBS at noon Sunday.

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