Five world titles. Three thousand points. And a week that could turn the season upside down.
The 2026 Opendoor Pickleball World Championships bring the sport's biggest names to Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, November 2–8. Qualifying opens Monday, the main draws begin Tuesday, and five champions emerge on Sunday.
Anna Leigh Waters is chasing another sweep. The men's doubles favorites have something to prove. And men's singles looks capable of wrecking predictions before the weekend even starts.
Here's everything you need to know.
Top Four Storylines
1. A 3,000-Point Opportunity
Worlds offers 3,000 ranking points to each division's champions. A big week here can do considerably more than add a trophy to the shelf.
For favorites, it's a chance to create separation. For challengers, it's an opportunity to make up ground in a hurry. Either way, an early exit carries extra weight.
2. Can Anyone Spoil Waters' Week?
Anna Leigh Waters left Hong Kong with women's doubles gold alongside Anna Bright and mixed doubles gold alongside Ben Johns. Now singles is back on her Worlds itinerary, putting a triple crown in play.
Her two partnerships delivered straight-game wins in those Hong Kong finals. The challenge for everyone else: find a way to make the favorites uncomfortable before they settle into another championship Sunday.
3. A Men's Doubles Rematch Worth Waiting For
Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin beat Johns and Gabriel Tardio 11–6, 11–8 for the Hong Kong title. That's a pretty good way to arrive at Worlds.
Additionally, Staksrud and Patriquin are defending champions at Worlds, so Tardio and Johns have something to prove.
The top two seeds sit on opposite sides of the draw, leaving the possibility of another meeting with a world championship at stake. Getting there is the first assignment.
4. Worlds Is an Entire Pickleball Festival
The five pro draws are only part of the attraction.
- College World Championships, October 30–November 1: Individual singles and mixed doubles open Friday, followed by team group play Saturday and team elimination play Sunday. The college competition belongs to the opening weekend, ahead of the PPA main draws. Collegiate schedule
- I watched the Collegiate Finals Live - Congrats to UTAH TECH for their comeback win! Down 13-20 in the Dreambreaker and they got the job done over FAU.
- MLP Nations Cup, October 30–November 1: Eight regional teams kick off Worlds with an international team competition. Worlds schedule
Erik Tice
- MUNICIPAL Celebrity Pickleball Showdown, Thursday, November 5: Mark Wahlberg headlines the celebrity pro-am on Powerball Championship Court, airing from 7–9 p.m. Central on Tennis Channel and PickleballTV. Official event information
- PPA Challenger Showdown, November 5–7: Eight 2027 PPA Tour contract offers are on the line, with pool play Thursday and Friday and semifinals and finals Saturday. Challenger details
- Pickleball Boulevard: Live music, clinics, social play and family activities fill out the week. Clayton Mullen plays Friday, November 6, from 6:30–8 p.m. Central. Full programming schedule
If you're heading to Brookhaven, leave room in the itinerary between matches.
Weather Outlook
Low 70s during the day, low 50s overnight, and mostly cooperative conditions in between: the early outlook looks comfortable for a long week outdoors.
Tuesday and Sunday currently carry morning shower chances. Wednesday through Saturday looks brighter, making the opening round and championship day the forecast windows to watch.
Broadcast Schedule: How to Watch
PickleballTV carries the main-draw action Tuesday through Sunday. Monday's qualifiers stream on the PPA Tour YouTube channel.
*All times Eastern
Monday, November 2 - Pro Qualifying
- 8am - 8pm - PPA Tour YouTube
Tuesday, November 3 - Round of 64
- Noon - 8pm - PickleballTV
Wednesday, November 4 - Round of 32
- Noon - 8pm - PickleballTV
Thursday, November 5 - Round of 16
- Noon - 7pm - PickleballTV
- 8pm - 10pm - Celebrity Pro-Am on Tennis Channel and PickleballTV
Friday, November 6 - Quarterfinals
- Noon - 8pm - PickleballTV
Saturday, November 7 - Semifinals
- Noon - 8pm - PickleballTV
Sunday, November 8 - Championship Sunday
- 11am - 5pm - PickleballTV
Brackets and results: Official live Worlds draws
Women's Singles
(1) Anna Leigh Waters headlines the draw. The top seed has the target on her back; everyone else has a bracket to navigate before taking a shot.
Storylines to Watch:
- A crowded route to Waters: (6) Judit Castillo and (9) Sahra Dennehy share her quarter. Castillo could first meet (27) Sofia Sewing in the Round of 32. Whoever emerges from that section will have at least two very good wins under their belt before facing off against the top seed.
- Buckner's opening: (4) Brooke Buckner occupies the adjacent quarter, with (5) Chao Yi Wang a potential quarterfinal opponent. I'll take Buckner to earn the semifinal opportunity against Waters.
- Who comes through the bottom half? (2) Kate Fahey could see (8) Catherine Parenteau in the quarters. (3) Kaitlyn Christian and (7) Kiora Kunimoto headline the other quarter. Fahey is my pick to outlast that side.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Anna Leigh Waters, (4) Brooke Buckner, (2) Kate Fahey, (3) Kaitlyn Christian
- Finals: Waters takes down Fahey in three.
Men's Singles
(1) Christopher Haworth leads a draw where the number next to a player's name offers very little protection.
Storylines to Watch:
- The first quarter could get messy: (7) John Lucian Goins, (8) Noe Khlif and (19) Ben Johns all landed in Haworth's quarter. Khlif and Johns could meet as early as the Round of 32. There's no gentle runway to Friday.
- Alshon's section has teeth: (5) Christian Alshon shares a quarter with (9) Connor Garnett and (12) Jaume Martinez Vich. That section also includes (55) Nico Acevedo, whose seed makes him an easy name to overlook. I wouldn't.
- Hong Kong's finalists could meet earlier this time: (2) Hunter Johnson beat (4) Tama Shimabukuro for gold in Hong Kong; here, they're potential quarterfinal opponents.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (7) John Lucian Goins, (5) Christian Alshon, (3) Federico Staksrud, (2) Hunter Johnson
- Finals: Hunter Johnson defeats Goins for gold.
Mixed Doubles
(1) Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters enter as the team to beat. Their Hong Kong response to a Las Vegas final loss makes Worlds especially interesting.
Storylines to Watch:
- A possible brothers matchup: (28) Collin Johns/Callie Smith open against (32) Daria Walczak/Augustus Ge. The winners could get the top seeds in the Round of 32. A Johns-versus-Johns meeting is possible, but there's work to do first.
- Two very different tests in the top half: (8) Kate Fahey/Federico Staksrud could meet the favorites in the quarters. (4) Rachel Rohrabacher/Christian Alshon and (5) Tyra Hurricane Black/Gabriel Tardio occupy the neighboring quarter - keep an eye on Tyra, as she has a recently fractured pointer finger on her right hand.
- Bright and Patriquin's next shot: (2) Anna Bright/Hayden Patriquin could face (6) Parris Todd/Andrei Daescu in the quarters. (3) Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson headline the other bottom-half quarter. I'm picking the No. 2 seeds to earn another crack at the favorites.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters; (4) Rachel Rohrabacher/Christian Alshon; (2) Anna Bright/Hayden Patriquin; (3) Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson
- Finals: Waters and Johns defeat Bright and Patriquin in four games.
Women's Doubles
(1) Anna Bright/Anna Leigh Waters are the clear pick. The more difficult prediction is which team gets the chance to challenge them for gold.
Storylines to Watch:
- The top half's biggest hurdle: (3) Rachel Rohrabacher/Parris Todd are on the favorites' side, making this a potential semifinal rather than a championship matchup. A projected quarterfinal against (7) Alix Truong/Jessie Irvine comes first.
- A demanding quarter for the No. 2 seeds: (2) Tyra Hurricane Black/Jorja Johnson could meet (4) Sofia Sewing/Catherine Parenteau in the quarters, with Sewing and Parenteau coming off the win in Virginia Beach. That is one of the matchups I'd circle for Friday.
- Fahey and Pisnik's opportunity: (5) Kate Fahey/Tina Pisnik share a quarter with (6) Lacy Schneemann/Jamie Wei. I'm taking Fahey and Pisnik to win that quarter, then push through to Sunday.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Anna Bright/Anna Leigh Waters; (3) Rachel Rohrabacher /Parris Todd; (2) Tyra Hurricane Black/ Jorja Johnson; (5) Kate Fahey/Tina Pisnik
- Finals: Bright and Waters take down Fahey and Pisnik in three straight games.
Men's Doubles
(1) Ben Johns/Gabriel Tardio have the top seed. (2) Federico Staksrud / (2) Hayden Patriquin have the most recent Hong Kong win. Worlds gives them another chance to settle it.
Storylines to Watch:
- A real quarterfinal test for Johns and Tardio: (6) Connor Garnett/Dylan Frazier sit in their quarter. The top seeds may need a championship-level performance well before Sunday.
- Daescu and Alshon have company: (3) Andrei Daescu/Christian Alshon share a quarter with (8) Jaume Martinez Vich/Nicolas Acevedo and (10) Yuta Funemizu/Armaan Bhatia.
- An upset pick in the bottom quarter: (4) Tama Shimabukuro/JW Johnson are the highest seeds in a quarter featuring (7) Riley Newman/Noe Khlif and (9) Collin Johns/Len Yang. I'll take Newman and Khlif to break through, with Staksrud and Patriquin emerging from the adjacent quarter.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio; (3) Andrei Daescu/Christian Alshon; (2) Federico Staksrud/Hayden Patriquin; (7) Riley Newman/Noe Khlif
- Finals: Staksrud and Patriquin win gold over Tardio and Johns.
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