Major League Pickleball Expands Down Under and Into Asia for 2026

Major League Pickleball’s domestic season may have wrapped in August with New Jersey claiming the title in New York, but the league’s international footprint is just heating up. Two overseas competitions — MLP Australia and MLP Asia — are set to carry pickleball’s competitive momentum through the remainder of 2026, underscoring the sport’s rapid global commercial expansion.

MLP Australia opens its fourth season this weekend with a revamped eight-team format, a reduction from twelve franchises in prior seasons intended to sharpen competitive balance. The 2025 champion Bondi Pickleball Club returns to defend its crown. League organizers named eight captains — prominent Australian pros, several of whom now compete regularly on the US circuit — and filled rosters via a snake draft held earlier this summer. Teams may carry one international player apiece, though most rosters remain entirely ANZ-based.

Competition follows standard MLP rules: two-man, two-woman rosters play four doubles rounds, with a tiebreaking DreamBreaker when teams split 2-2.

Key storylines include:

• Brisbane Breakers, the 2023 inaugural champions, captained by Joey Wild with first overall draft pick Harrison Brown as marquee player — arguably the league’s strongest men’s pairing.
• Bondi Pickleball Club, the defending champs led by Jason Taylor, who took Katy Hart third overall to pair with Katie Morris.
• The Coasters, captained by Danni-Elle Townsend, the US MLP’s Most Improved Player, who returns home alongside Ryan Henry and Roman Esteraja.
• Gold Coast Glory, led by Sarah Burr, who drafted Jamie Haas fourth overall to form the league’s top women’s duo.
• Melbourne Thunder, an original franchise under a new brand, led by Zach Grabovic with international touring pro Tom Protzek, whose US stint with the Chicago Slice was derailed by visa issues.

Beyond Australia, MLP Asia announced rosters for its inaugural season, slated to begin in mid-November — a signal that the league sees growth potential in Asia-Pacific markets as pickleball participation accelerates globally.

The international expansion comes as the broader sports consumer economy watches closely. Footwear and apparel players, including Crocs, Inc. (CROX) — whose shares recently traded at $119.24, up 3.03% from a prior close of $115.73, with a market capitalization of roughly $5.86 billion — operate in the same casual-lifestyle consumer space where pickleball’s surging participation creates new retail and sponsorship demand. Crocs, which designs and sells casual footwear under its Crocs and HEYDUDE brands, is among the consumer companies positioned in that ecosystem, though the league itself remains privately organized.

What to watch

MLP Australia’s opening weekend results and early standings in the condensed eight-team field; roster and venue announcements for MLP Asia’s debut season beginning mid-November; and any sponsorship or broadcast partnerships tied to the new international circuits. CROX’s upcoming quarterly earnings may also offer a read on consumer discretionary spending trends relevant to the sport’s growth.

Source: original release