Major League Pickleball Playoffs - Everything you Need to Know

The Major League Pickleball (MLP) Playoffs are just around the corner. This is your one-stop shop for everything related to the playoffs. 

After ten regular season events over a four-month period, the MLP Playoffs are finally here. The top 10 teams in Premier Level and the six teams in Challenger Level are fighting it out in beautiful San Diego this weekend.

This article breaks down the entire playoff picture for those who may be new to MLP and for the diehard fans, and everyone in between.

How it Works

When: Friday, August 15 - Sunday, August 17

Where: Barnes Tennis Center - 4490 W Point Loma Blvd, San Diego, CA 92107

Who: The top ten Premier Level teams are playing in San Diego, along with all six Challenger Level teams

Premier Level

Play-In Round

Matchup #1 - #7 Texas Ranchers vs. #10 Miami Pickleball Club

Matchup #2 - #8 Orlando Squeeze vs. #9 Utah Black Diamonds

Logistics

• 7 seed got to pick their opponent from the 9 or 10 seed
• 8 seed played the opponent that the 7 seed did not choose
• This is just one match - winner moves on, loser goes home
• The better seed gets to react to mixed doubles lineups, DreamBreakers, and choose side/serve, as well

Quarterfinals

After the play-in round, the two winners become the new #7 and #8 seed. The #1 seed gets to choose their opponent from the 5-8 seeds. Then the #2 seed chooses their opponent from the remaining 5-8 seeds. And so on.

Of note, the quarterfinals and beyond are the best two out of three matches. The better seed gets home field advantage (react to mixed doubles lineups, DreamBreakers, and choose side/serve) in the first two matches. If it goes to a third match, there is a coin toss to determine which team is home and which one is away.

The winners of the quarterfinals will head to New York City to play in the semifinals and finals the following week. The semifinals and finals are going to be held at CityPickle at Wollman Rink,  in Central Park, from August 22-24.

Challenger Level

Logistics:

• Top 2 seeds get a first round bye
• First Round Matchups:
  • #3 California Black Bears vs. #6 Florida Smash
  • #4 D.C. Pickleball Team vs. #5 Bay Area Breakers
• The first round is just one match - loser goes home
• The semi-finals of Challenger will be played in San Diego

Of note - the winner of the Challenger Level playoffs will be promoted to Premier Level in 2026. The rest of the Challenger Level teams will remain in Challenger Level for 2026.

How to Watch the MLP Playoffs

Blue text denotes Challenger Level | Black text denotes Premier Level

Premier Level Team by Team Breakdown

#1 Seed - St. Louis Shock

Regular Season Record: 24-1, 74 points

Starting Lineup: Anna Bright, Kate Fahey, Hayden Patriquin, and Gabe Tardio

Bench: Judit Castillo and Erik Lange

Fun Fact: The last time the Shock played a match where Bright, Fahey, Patriquin, and Tardio didn’t start, was September 21, 2023.

The Shock are looking to win the title this year. In the 2024 playoffs, they lost in the semis last year, as the #1 seed, to the eventual winners, the Dallas Flash. St. Louis has all the tools to win this year, and it will come down to who plays best in the toughest moments.

Tice's odds of winning it all: 21%

#2 Seed - Dallas Flash

Regular Season Record: 22-3, 71 points

Starting Lineup: Jorja Johnson, Hurricane Tyra Black, JW Johnson, and Augie Ge

Bench: Samantha Parker and Roscoe Bellamy

Fun Fact: The Dallas Flash have won the last two MLP trophies - the 2025 Mid-Season Tournament and the 2024 Finals.

For the better part of a year, the Flash were the most dominant team in MLP. After the Mid-Season Tournament win, they showed some vulnerability, going 8-3 in their last 11 matches. Dallas is looking to win back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025. Going into the finals as a slight underdog is the exact way they entered the 2024 playoffs.

Tice's odds of winning it all: 19%

#3 Seed - New Jersey 5s

Regular Season Record: 20-5, 62 points

Starting Lineup: Anna Leigh Waters, Meghan Dizon, Will Howells, and Noe Khlif

Bench: Mari Humberg and Zane Navratil

Fun Fact: Right before the trade deadline, the 5s traded for Noe Khlif, benching their team captain, Zane Navratil. Khlif has played in 10 matches for the 5s, going 12-8 in his games thus far.

The 5s have made every effort to win this season, but they have been a bit "up and down". They traded for Khlif, who has shown flashes of brilliance, and some flashes of "not brilliance". Khlif will be their X factor - can he rise to the occasion in big moments?

Tice's odds of winning it all: 15%

#4 Seed - Brooklyn Pickleball Club

Regular Season Record: 18-7, 56 points

Starting Lineup: Rachel Rohrabacher, Jackie Kawamoto, Riley Newman, and Dekel Bar

Bench: Hannah Blatt and Pat Smith

Fun Fact: The Brooklyn Pickleball Club had to play over half their matches this year with a sub, because at one point, Riley Newman had a hip injury and Dekel Bar was dealing with an illness and injury. AJ Koller played in 14 matches for Brooklyn.

Brooklyn is finally fully healthy (we think). Brooklyn can definitely win their first matchup, but the X Factor here is Dekel Bar. It will be exactly 76 days since Dekel Bar played a competitive match, due to his COVID illness, and subsequent rib injury. How quickly can he get up to playoff level speed?

Tice's odds of winning it all: 11%

#5 Seed - Columbus Sliders 

Regular Season Record: 18-7, 52 points

Starting Lineup: Lea Jansen, Parris Todd, Andrei Daescu, and CJ Klinger

Bench: Marcela Hones and Ross Whittaker

Fun Fact: The Sliders played a schedule that was very front loaded and the last time they played together was MLP St. Louis, so it will be 27 days from their last match when they step on the court for the playoffs.

It will be 27 days since they last played at MLP St. Louis. They were up and down in that event, but showed signs of being able to beat anyone. The women are top tier, and Andrei and Parris have played well together, overall. I really think the Columbus X Factor is CJ Klinger. If he plays well, especially in men's, this team has a good chance.

Tice's odds of winning it all: 9%

#6 Seed - LA Mad Drops

Regular Season Record: 18-7, 49 points

Starting Lineup: Catherine Parenteau, Jade Kawamoto, Ben Johns, and Hunter Johnson

Bench: Mehvish Safdar and Wes Burrows

Fun Fact: The Mad Drops have played a total of six matches together as a team, due to the late season trade for Ben Johns.

The Mad Drops also showed signs of brilliance in their one event together in MLP St. Louis. They for sure can beat any of the teams in the playoffs, but can they do it in best two out of three? This may be one of my hottest takes ever, but the LA X Factor for me is Ben Johns. If he can win both his games in each match, I think they have a good chance to get through to the semis. If not, they are going to struggle.

Tice's odds of winning it all: 13%

#7 Seed - Texas Ranchers

Regular Season Record: 15-10, 48 points

Starting Lineup: Tina Pisnik, Kaitlyn Christian, Christian Alshon, and Eric Oncins

Bench: Felicity Di Laura and Wyatt Stone

Fun Fact: The Ranchers left Christian Alshon at home during MLP Salt Lake City, and narrowly missed taking over the #6 seed with Wyatt Stone playing in his place. Alshon is back playing for the Ranchers in the playoffs.

The Ranchers are a bit of an unknown right now. They traded for Kaitlyn Christian, who only got two events under her belt with the team, and the last event they played, their star, Christian Alshon was not there. How quickly can the Ranchers find their rhythm? Although they are probably disappointed to not earn a first round bye, the extra match played in San Diego may help them in the long run.

Tice's odds of winning it all: 6%

#8 Seed - Orlando Squeeze

Regular Season Record: 15-10, 42 points

Starting Lineup: Lacy Schneemann, Milan Rane, Federico Staksrud, and Dylan Frazier

Bench: Alli Phillips and Grayson Goldin

Fun Fact: The Squeeze are the only team in the playoffs to stay undefeated in DreamBreakers throughout the regular season. They are 3-0 in DreamBreaker situations.

The Squeeze are in a similar situation to the Ranchers, oddly. They traded for Milly Rane near the deadline and only had two events with her. The bigger issue? Dylan Frazier's health. He looked to have seriously aggravated his right hamstring in PPA Bristol in singles and was noticeably favoring it in doubles. He is the Squeeze's X Factor in the playoffs.

Tice's odds of winning it all: 3%

#9 Seed - Utah Black Diamonds

Regular Season Record: 12-13, 35 points

Starting Lineup: Etta Tuionetoa, Allyce Jones, Connor Garnett, and Tyler Loong

Bench: Chloe Igleski and Yates Johnson

Fun Fact: The Black Diamonds looked extremely dangerous in MLP Salt Lake City, with new teammate Etta Tuionetoa. I expect Utah to look good versus their first round opponent, the Orlando Squeeze.

Utah is riding a wave of momentum from their MLP Salt Lake City event. They played very well there, with their new teammate, Etta Tuionetoa. Etta and Allyce went 5-0. Tyler and Connor are a good men's duo that can cause problems. Etta and Tyler didn't play to their potential in Salt Lake City. For them to have a chance, I think the women need to win, and Connor needs to win at least one of his games.

Tice's odds of winning it all: 2%

#10 Seed - Miami Pickleball Club

Regular Season Record: 8-17, 22 points

Starting Lineup: Mya Bui, Tammy Emmrich, Jay Devilliers, Yuta Funemizu

Bench: Tatiana Ruhl and Juan Benitez

Fun Fact: Despite trading away their two best players in Rane and Khlif, Miami still backed their way into the playoffs, with three points in MLP Salt Lake City. This team has only played five matches together in total in 2025.

Miami has a whole new look team. Yuta is super fun to watch and very difficult to speed up on. Mya has improved, but still has a ways to go with her decision making. I am saying Mya is the X factor here. If she can play smart pickleball and play within her game, Miami might be looking to upset the Ranchers in the first round.

Tice's odds of winning it all: 1%

The playoffs should host top level matches throughout both MLP San Diego and MLP NYC. Every single game will have the pressure raised in the playoffs. Below is my chart for percentage chance of winning the entire thing.