MLP Produces Record-Setting 2026 Season

The May-August 2026 Major League Pickleball season – nine regular season events hosted in team markets; the Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich.; and three weeks of the 2026 MLP Playoffs across Dallas, Newport Beach, and New York City – built on the momentum from 2025 to produce record-shattering growth across all business and fan engagement verticals, with everything on display at the landmark 2026 MLP Finals in NYC, played in front of crowds totaling over 10,000 across three days, the largest and most passionate turn out in league history to date.

This season, new all-time league highs were established for TV and streaming viewership, on-site attendance and ticket revenue, social media impressions and interactions, national media coverage, and more.

Viewership Records: Broadcast, Cable, and Streaming; Pickleballtv Minutes Watched: +32% vs. 13 events in 2025

The 2026 Major League Pickleball season definitively proved that pro pickleball can generate significant viewership and TV audiences, with coverage setting MLP viewership records on three networks:

• CBS – 773,000 for the NYC Finals on Aug. 30, the second-most watched pro pickleball event ever on any network
• FS1 – 146,000 at the regular season finale in Orlando on Aug. 1, an overall pickleball record on the network
• Tennis Channel – 89,000 for the NYC Finals on Aug. 30

Additionally, MLP coverage on Pickleballtv – a joint venture between Pickleball Inc. and Tennis Channel – was up 32% in minutes viewed vs. 13 events in 2025, with over 415 million this season.

On-Site Attendance: +69% vs. 13 events in 2025

Fan fervor reached a new level, with a daily average attendance of nearly 1,500 for 51 events days. The electricity was palpable, with intensity rising as the season reached a crescendo at the regular season finale in Orlando (first two arena sellouts in league history) and the playoffs across Dallas, Newport Beach, and the MLP Finals in iconic New York City.

• The Finals in NYC generated total attendance of over 10,000 across three days (five ticketed sessions), nearly doubling the league’s previous all-time event attendance record
• All 13 events produced higher average daily attendance than last year’s daily average
• Five events averaged over 1,500 daily attendance, up from two events in 2025

Ticket Revenue: +87% vs. 13 events in 2025

The increases in total and paid attendance directly correlated to a significant jump in ticket revenue. Expanded ticketing options and experiences – including suites and expanded VIP areas – were catalysts in record revenue generation.

• The NYC Finals more than doubled the previous MLP event record for ticket revenue (Newport Beach Playoffs)
• Four of nine regular season events grossed more ticket revenue than the 2025 regular season event high

Social Impressions & Interactions: +61% & +106%, respectively, vs. 13 events in 2025

MLP hit new all-time highs on social media, including hitting 150,000 followers on Instagram. New content and influencer partnerships help drive growth in impressions, interactions, and follower count across all social platforms.

National Media Coverage Highlights

The story around MLP and pro pickleball’s business has evolved in just a few years from one of curiosity and potential to that of a thriving, rapidly growing enterprise that is capturing fans and building something sustainable.

• E! News: ESPYs 2026 Red Carpet Looks: See Every Celebrity Outfit
• CNBC: Apollo Sports Capital and Tom Dundon make landmark $225 million investment in pickleball
• Sports Business Journal: Tom Dundon’s Pickleball Inc. charts next phase of growth with new funding
• Marketing Brew: Why major brands are tapping into pro pickleball team sponsorships
• Sports Business Journal: Major League Pickleball set to wrap ‘26 season with N.Y. finals
• CNN This Morning: The Rise of Pickleball
• Barstool Sports: New Jersey Is For Winners: The New Jersey 5’s Are The World Champions Of MLP
• CNBC: Family offices bet on sports, from pickleball leagues to smart soccer balls
• CNBC: Gary Vaynerchuk on the rise of alternative sports, surging sports team valuations
• Forbes: The New Jersey Fives And Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Bring Fibermaxxing To The Mid-Season Tournament
• Forbes: New Jersey 5’s Run Back Kellogg’s Raisin Bran “Fibes” Partnership In NYC, Paving A New Blueprint For MLP
• Fox & Friends: Fox & Friends Celebrates National Pickleball Day at the MLP Playoffs in Dallas
• Pickleball.com: FS1’s most watched pickleball event ever — MLP Orlando shatters records
• Pickleball.com: Dallas Flash name Mark Wahlberg-owned MUNICIPAL brand as official apparel partner
• Pickleball.com: “The Fibes”: The story behind New Jersey’s fiber-fueled partnership
• Sports Video Group: Owl AI and MLP Go Live with First-Ever AI Officiating System
• TIME: The 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026 – Anna Leigh Waters
• CBS Sunday Morning: Pickleball superstar Anna Leigh Waters
• NBC News: Why Anna Leigh Waters is already considered the GOAT of pickleball
• CNN: Meet the world’s top female pickle ball player (+full clip)

About Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash)

Founded in 2021, Major League Pickleball (MLP presented by DoorDash) is the preeminent, coed, team-based professional pickleball league, featuring over 100 of the best athletes across 20 teams, iconic team owners, and the most electric live events and fan experience in the sport. In 2024, MLP and the PPA Tour merged under the newly-formed United Pickleball Association (UPA), bringing together the leading pro pickleball organizations under a single entity. Visit the official website and follow MLP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for more information.