The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) Tour is in action for the first time in 2026 this weekend in Seattle.

With some format and registration changes this year, the APP Tour is looking continue to build on their accomplishments.

Firstly, late last year the APP Tour announced that it had joined the Global Pickleball Alliance (GPA), making a more global pickleball tour through partnerships.

There have already been four GPA events:

• Sypik Australia NPL Invitational - December 2025
• APP Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur Open - February 2026
• APP Japan - Tsu City - February 2026
• Pickleball D-JOY Tour - Leg 1 - March 2026

This is the first event the APP Tour has ever hosted in the Seattle area. The tournament is taking place at the Side Out Tsunami Pickleball Center, which has a total of 26 indoor courts, including three championship courts. 

I mentioned above that the registration process has changed on the APP Tour. Last year, players registered using the UTR Sports site to register, but not in 2026. Since USA Pickleball and the APP Tour has partnered with DUPR, as the official ratings partner, the APP Tour has moved away from UTR and is now using pickleballden.com for tournament registration and DUPR is the official rating partner of the APP Tour.

It is the goal of the APP Tour to move toward a progressive draw format in 2026. Rather than having a singles day, mixed doubles day, gender doubles day, and Championship Sunday, the format will go as follows:

• Thursday - Round of 64
• Friday - Round of 32 and Round of 16
• Saturday - Quarterfinals and Semifinals
• Sunday - Championship Sunday in all disciplines

Lastly, the APP Tour has started and/or renewed some previous initiatives aimed at amateurs and senior pros:

• 2026 Humana Cup - 50+ team league
• AARP Champions (50+) Division
• AARP Masters (60+) Division

Big News Announced Ahead of the AARP Open Seattle - 2026 APP U.S. National Team Roster

On Tuesday, March 24th, the APP Tour announced their U.S. National Team Roster:

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Led by Head Coaches Lee Whitwell and Chad Edwards, and Director Ken Hermann, the National Team’s official training and development home is located at The Fort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 11 player squad will compete in APP Next events in addition to the pro brackets on the APP Tour.

How to Watch the APP Tour AARP Open Seattle

Saturday, March 28 - Quarterfinals and Semifinals - 4-10pm ET - APPTV on YouTube

Sunday, March 29 - Championship Matches - 3-9pm ET - APPTV on YouTube

*On April 8th, the CBS Sports Network will carry a linear TV recap of the event

Quick Look at the Draws

Note: Since there is no bracket is available on pickleballden, I just list the top four seeds in each bracket

Women’s Singles

Top Four Seeds:

1. Sofia Sewing
2. Katerina Stewart
3. Bobbi Oshiro
4. Domenika Turkovic

Prediction: Stewart beats Sewing in the finals

Men’s Singles

Top Four Seeds:

1. Ronan Camron
2. Ammar Wazir
3. Dusty Boyer
4. Ryler DeHeart

Prediction: Patrick Kawka (5 seed) upsets a couple players and wins gold

Mixed Doubles

Top Four Seeds:

1. Sofia Sewing/Jack Munro
2. Bobbi Oshiro/Randy Blanco
3. Megan Fudge/Richard Livornese
4. Christine Maddox/Max “Purple Jesus” Manthou

Prediction: Sofia and Jack win the first APP event of the year over Megan and Richard

Women’s Doubles

Top Four Seeds:

1. Megan Fudge/Sofia Sewing
2. Shelby Bates/Bobbi Oshiro
3. Jill Braverman/Emilia Schmidt
4. Allison Harris/Yana Newell

Prediction: Megan and Sofia beat Shelby and Bobbi

Men’s Doubles

Top Four Seeds:

1. Richard Livornese/Jack Munro
2. Casey Diamond/Aidan Schenk
3. Max “Purple Jesus” Manthou/Thomas Yu
4. Ryler DeHeart/Kyle Koszuta

Prediction: Jack and Richard beat Casey and Aidan in the finals