For ten days, the pickleball world came together in Dallas for one of the biggest celebrations of the sport in 2026.

From October 30 through November 8, Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, hosted collegiate athletes, amateur competitors, rising professionals, and some of the biggest names in pickleball.

The week featured team championships, historic comebacks, future PPA Tour stars, and five professional world titles.

With so much happening across multiple events, here's a recap of everything that went down during the 2026 Pickleball Worlds.

Opening Weekend: College, Minor League, and Major League Pickleball

Worlds kicked off with three days of team-based competition, bringing together college athletes, Minor League Pickleball teams, and Major League Pickleball professionals.

College World Championship: Utah Tech Makes History

The 2026 College World Championship brought together 250 players from 28 schools, all competing for collegiate pickleball's world title.

The championship came down to Utah Tech and Florida Atlantic University (FAU), delivering one of the biggest comebacks of the entire week.

The matchup was also a rematch of The Nationals 2026, where FAU defeated Utah Tech 3-1 earlier in the year.

FAU took an early 2-0 lead after winning women's and men's doubles. Utah Tech responded by winning both mixed doubles matches, forcing a DreamBreaker to decide the championship.

FAU appeared to have the title secured with a 20-11 lead, needing just one more point to win.

But Utah Tech wasn't finished.

The Trailblazers scored 11 consecutive points to win the DreamBreaker 22-20, completing the largest comeback in College Pickleball Tour history and securing their second consecutive world championship.

College World Championship team results:

Champion: Utah Tech 1

Runner-up: Florida Atlantic University 1

Semifinalists: Alabama 1 and Utah Tech 2

For a deeper look at this historic comeback, read our 2026 College World Championship recap, including the full team results and how Utah Tech secured its second straight title.

Utah Tech also dominated the individual competitions, winning four of the five open-division gold medals.

College World Championship Individual Medalists

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Liam Duffin finished the weekend with two gold medals and a bronze, while siblings Ella and Clayton Boydston claimed mixed doubles gold together before each adding another gold in their respective doubles divisions.

You can also revisit the opening day of the College World Championship, when Utah Tech swept the mixed doubles podium and delivered several standout individual performances.

The event awarded six qualifying bids to the 2027 College Nationals, with Arizona State, Texas, Alabama, Purdue, Florida, and Miami earning spots.

For more on the collegiate competitive pathway, check out the 2026–27 College Pickleball Tour schedule.

Minor League Pickleball Brings Amateur Team Competition to Worlds

Minor League Pickleball (MiLP) was also part of opening weekend, giving amateur and competitive players the opportunity to experience team-based pickleball at Brookhaven.

Competition included DUPR-based divisions across different skill levels, with age-restricted events and both gender-specific and mixed-team formats.

Friday featured men's and women's three-player team competitions, including DUPR 9, 11, and 13 divisions.

Saturday continued with four-player team competitions across DUPR 12, 14, and 16 divisions, including 50+ brackets.

As a MiLP Regional Showdown, the competition offered double points toward the MiLP National Leaderboard, with division winners earning qualifying Dream Tickets to the 2027 MiLP Championships.

With amateurs competing alongside professional and collegiate athletes, the event highlighted how DUPR ratings help create competitive divisions for players of different skill levels.

Want to understand how those divisions work? Our guide to pickleball tournaments and leagues explains how Minor League teams use combined DUPR ratings to keep competition balanced.

MLP Nations Cup: Team USA Claims the Inaugural Title

Major League Pickleball introduced a new international competition during Worlds with the inaugural MLP Nations Cup.

Eight regional teams competed from October 30 through November 1, representing the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Asia Domestic, Asia International, Europe East, and Europe West.

Following round-robin competition, Team USA defeated Europe East 3-1 in the semifinals, while Latin America defeated Asia Domestic 3-1.

That set up a championship matchup between Team USA and Latin America.

Team USA completed its undefeated run with a 3-0 victory, becoming the first MLP Nations Cup champion.

MLP Nations Cup results:

Champion: Team USA

Runner-up: Team Latin America

Other semifinalists: Europe East and Asia Domestic

The winning Team USA roster featured Anna Bright, Tyra Hurricane Black, Kate Fahey, Ben Johns, CJ Klinger, and Will Howells.

The Nations Cup offered fans a different way to experience professional pickleball, bringing regional pride and team strategy to the international stage.

Champions Series Pickleball Crowns Three Champions in Dallas

While Worlds was taking place at Brookhaven, Champions Series Pickleball (CSP), now known as MLP Champions Series, hosted its 2026 championship event at Pickler Universe in Carrollton, Texas.

Held October 28 through November 1, the event brought together senior professional players competing across three age divisions.

2026 Champions Series results:

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Austin Ignite secured the Prime championship over Seattle Tsunami in a TeamBreaker.

In the Premier division, Palm Beach Royals captured the title after defeating Suncoast Pelicans, with the championship coming down to the final mixed doubles match.

The Pelicans also reached the Masters final, where they defeated Denver Iconics to claim the 60+ championship.

With college, amateur, professional, and senior professional competitions happening across the Dallas area, opening weekend showcased the different generations and levels of competitive pickleball.

November 2–7: The PPA World Championships Begin

Following opening weekend, attention shifted toward the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, a 3,000-point PPA Tour Major featuring some of the largest professional draws of the season.

Competition began Monday, November 2, with qualifying rounds before progressing through the main draws throughout the week.

By Friday and Saturday, the remaining players were competing for spots in Championship Sunday's five finals.

Alongside the main professional draws, another major opportunity was unfolding for the next generation of professional players.

PPA Challenger Showdown: Eight Players Earn Tour Contract Offers

From November 5–7, the PPA Challenger Showdown brought together the highest-ranked unsigned players and teams from the 2026 Challenger season.

The stakes were significant: eight players would earn offers for PPA Tour contracts for the 2027 season.

Competition began with singles pool play on Thursday, followed by doubles pool play on Friday and the semifinals and finals on Saturday.

By the end of the weekend, eight players had earned the opportunity to take the next step in professional pickleball.

2026 PPA Challenger Showdown Medalists

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Several championship matches featured impressive comebacks.

Eileen Wang overcame a one-game deficit to defeat Jessica Ho 6-11, 11-5, 13-11 in women's singles.

Matt Burkhardt delivered a dominant opening game against Troy Akin, winning 11-0 before closing out the men's singles championship 12-10.

In women's doubles, Allie Reichert and Madalina Grigoriu overcame an opening-game loss and a 1-5 deficit in the second game, finishing the match with an 11-0 deciding game.

Riley Inn and Alex Emery also completed a comeback in men's doubles, recovering from a 0-5 deficit in the final game to claim the title.

Meanwhile, Anne-Sophie Courteau and Juan Varon avenged an earlier pool-play loss to Madalina Grigoriu and Garrison Eaby, winning the mixed doubles championship in three games.

The Showdown provided a glimpse of the next generation of PPA Tour talent, with eight players earning contract offers for 2027.

November 8: Championship Sunday Delivers Five World Titles

After a full week of competition, everything came down to Championship Sunday.

Five professional titles were on the line, with some of pickleball's biggest names and rising stars competing for gold.

Anna Leigh Waters Captures Her 46th Triple Crown

Anna Leigh Waters once again demonstrated why she remains one of the most dominant athletes in professional pickleball.

Waters completed another Triple Crown, winning women's singles, women's doubles alongside Anna Bright, and mixed doubles with Ben Johns.

In women's singles, Waters defeated Kate Fahey 11-3, 11-2, securing her 300th career PPA Tour women's singles match victory.

Alongside Bright, she defeated Catherine Parenteau and Sofia Sewing 11-4, 11-9, 11-5.

The victory marked Waters and Bright's 18th consecutive tournament title together, the longest winning streak in PPA Tour doubles history across men's, women's, and mixed doubles.

Waters and Johns also battled through a five-game mixed doubles final against siblings JW and Jorja Johnson, winning 11-4 in the deciding game.

The title marked Waters and Johns' 68th championship together and completed Waters' 46th career Triple Crown.

JW Johnson and 15-Year-Old Tama Shimabukuro Make History

One of the biggest stories of Championship Sunday came from the men's doubles final.

JW Johnson and 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro faced Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu, who appeared to have control of the match after taking the first two games 11-5, 11-5.

But Johnson and Shimabukuro weren't finished.

The pair won the next three games 11-4, 11-8, 11-4, completing a reverse sweep to capture the championship.

The match also featured an incredible 91-shot rally, one of the longest in a PPA men's doubles final that season.

With the victory, Shimabukuro became the youngest men's doubles champion in PPA Tour history.

The championship was another example of the next generation of professional pickleball players challenging established competitors on the biggest stage.

John Lucian Goins Wins His Second Consecutive PPA Title

In men's singles, John Lucian Goins continued his strong run of form, defeating former tennis professional Jack Sock 11-5, 12-10.

Sock had put together an impressive tournament, defeating Federico Staksrud, Roscoe Bellamy, and Hunter Johnson on his way to the final.

However, Goins maintained control during the championship match, securing his second consecutive PPA singles title following his victory at the Virginia Beach Open.

The victory marked Goins' fourth career PPA Tour title and second of the 2026 season, further establishing him among the leading competitors in men's singles.

2026 PPA World Championships Medal Results

Here are the gold and silver medalists from all five professional divisions.

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More Than Just a World Championship

What made the 2026 Pickleball Worlds memorable wasn't just the professional championship matches.

Across ten days, Dallas hosted a celebration of pickleball at multiple levels, bringing together college athletes, amateur competitors, senior professionals, emerging talent, and some of the highest-ranked players in the world.

From Utah Tech's historic DreamBreaker comeback to Team USA winning the inaugural MLP Nations Cup, eight players earning PPA Tour contract offers, and Anna Leigh Waters securing another Triple Crown, the week delivered something for every type of pickleball fan.

It also highlighted how far the sport has come, with more competitive opportunities available across different ages and skill levels.

For those inspired to compete, DUPR helps players find competition that matches their ability. Learn how your DUPR rating is calculated or explore our guide to competitive pickleball tournaments and leagues to find your next opportunity.

With another Worlds in the books, one thing is clear: the competition continues to grow, and the next generation of players is already making its mark.

Congratulations to all the competitors and champions who made the 2026 Pickleball Worlds a week to remember!

Frequently asked questions

Who won the 2026 Pickleball World Championships?

The 2026 PPA World Championships crowned five professional champions. John Lucian Goins won men's singles, Anna Leigh Waters won women's singles, JW Johnson and Tama Shimabukuro won men's doubles, Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright won women's doubles, and Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns won mixed doubles.

Who won the 2026 College Pickleball World Championship?

Utah Tech defeated Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in a historic comeback to win its second consecutive College World Championship. After trailing 20–11 in the deciding DreamBreaker, Utah Tech scored 11 straight points to win 22–20.

Who won the 2026 MLP Nations Cup?

Team USA won the inaugural MLP Nations Cup, defeating Team Latin America 3–0 in the championship. The team featured Anna Bright, Tyra Hurricane Black, Kate Fahey, Ben Johns, CJ Klinger, and Will Howells.

Who won the 2026 PPA Challenger Showdown?

Matt Burkhardt won men's singles and Eileen Wang won women's singles. Riley Inn and Alex Emery captured men's doubles, Allie Reichert and Madalina Grigoriu won women's doubles, and Anne-Sophie Courteau and Juan Varon took mixed doubles. Eight players earned PPA Tour contract offers for 2027.

How many Triple Crowns does Anna Leigh Waters have?

Anna Leigh Waters earned her 46th career Triple Crown at the 2026 PPA World Championships, winning women's singles, women's doubles with Anna Bright, and mixed doubles with Ben Johns.

Who is the youngest men's doubles champion in PPA Tour history?

Tama Shimabukuro became the youngest men's doubles champion in PPA Tour history at age 15, partnering with JW Johnson to win the 2026 World Championships. The pair recovered from a two-game deficit to defeat Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu.

Where were the 2026 Pickleball World Championships held?

The 2026 Pickleball Worlds took place at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, from October 30 through November 8. Champions Series Pickleball also held its championship event nearby at Pickler Universe in Carrollton, Texas.

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