The Nationals is the most prestigious college pickleball tournament each year, bringing together top schools to compete, crown new champions, and create a fiercely competitive field where players improve ratings and climb college pickleball rankings. Read on to see what to expect, from brackets to special events!

History of The Nationals

What started with just 16 teams in 2022 in Dripping Springs, TX, has transformed into one of the largest pickleball tournaments in the country. Now with over 100 teams and 800 players, The Nationals is celebrating its 5th year of competition! 

Here’s a look at how the top teams have performed over the years:

Tournament Brackets

The Nationals features multiple brackets designed to maximize participation while maintaining competitive integrity.

The best 64 schools in the country have earned a bid to qualify for the main championship bracket at The Nationals. For this bracket, schools are only allowed to bring their 1st team to compete for the title. If schools have a 2nd and 3rd team they would like to bring, we have dedicated 2nd and 3rd Team Brackets for them to compete in. 

All team brackets will have group play on Friday, then playoffs on Saturday/Sunday. All teams will qualify for the playoffs, with group play used for seeding.

In addition to team competition, players can also participate in:

• Men’s & Women’s Singles
• Mixed Doubles
• Men’s & Women’s Doubles

These brackets allow more college pickleball players who didn’t make a team for their school to still come out and compete, improve their pickleball ratings, and gain tournament experience.

Tournament Schedule

Spectator Information

It is free to come and watch The Nationals every single day! For those attending:

• On-site parking is available for $10 at Life Time
• A free shuttle lot is also provided to keep costs down for you

Click here to see more details

East-West Game

For the third time, we will be recognizing the top players in the country by naming All-America 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams. There will be 8 players (4 guys and 4 girls) on each team, for 24 players total. On each team, 4 of the players (2 guys and 2 girls) will be from the East, and the other 4 from the West. The Mississippi River is the separating line for the states that are considered East or West.

On Friday at 6 pm, the East and West sides of the All-America 1st team will face off in an exhibition match called the East-West Game! The winning team of the East-West game will play in the MLP Mid-Season pickleball tournament this summer, creating a pathway for players aiming to transition into the professional level.

Balanced Bracket

This year, we're introducing the balanced bracket on Sunday morning to replace bowl games! You'll sign up for this bracket individually, and we'll pair you up with someone from a different school. Pairings will be made so that each team is approximately the same combined DUPR pickleball ratings.

Since this is a new type of bracket, games will not go into DUPR, and the cost will only be $10 to participate. This will be a great opportunity to make new friends and play some relaxed games on Sunday! Registration will also be open until Saturday night during the tournament for any late registrations.

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To stay up to date with results, highlights, and more, follow DUPR and the College Pickleball Tour on social media!