MLP Nations Cup This Weekend: Format, Teams and What to Watch
Major League Pickleball is running its first MLP Nations Cup this weekend, October 30 to November 1, near Dallas. It swaps the usual franchise teams for national and regional squads. Here is what the event is, how it works, and what to watch for. Everything below comes from the sources listed at the end, and anything unconfirmed is labelled.
Where and when
The event is at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, just outside Dallas. It runs Friday through Sunday and acts as the kickoff to the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, which follow from November 2 to 8 at the same venue, according to the reporting listed below.
The format
Eight teams are split into two groups of four. Each team plays three round-robin matches across Friday and Saturday, and those results set the seeding. Sunday is a single-elimination bracket for the title. Matches use MLP's standard coed team format, which is the same style our MLP finals review breaks down.
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| Team USA | Australia |
| Canada | Latin America |
| Asia Domestic | Asia International |
| Europe-West | Europe-East |
Who is playing
Team USA is captained by Johnny Goldberg. Its announced roster is Ben Johns, Anna Bright, Tyra Black, Kate Fahey, CJ Klinger and Will Howells. Canada is captained by Steve Deakin, and its roster includes Victoria DiMuzio, Blaine Hovenier, Armaan Jiwa Mawji, Layne Sleeth, Ryan Torresin and Angie Walker. Other captains named in the announcements include Sange Carter for Australia, Juan Manuel Benitez for Latin America, Caleb Garrard for Europe-East and Madeleine Lim for Asia International. Rosters can change before match day, so check the official event page for the final lineups.
Why it is different from a normal MLP weekend
- Teams are built by region, not by franchise. Players who normally compete against each other in league play are now partners, which means new pairings in a coed team format.
- Depth matters. Each team has six players and the coed format needs both men and women across several games, so the lineup choices of the captains are part of the contest.
- The schedule is short. Three group matches and one knockout stage leave little room to recover from a bad opening day.
What to watch for
- Seeding on Saturday night. Group results decide who plays whom on Sunday, so a loss on day two can mean a harder bracket.
- Which pairs the captains use. Newly formed partnerships have had less time to settle positioning and communication. Our post on stacking in doubles explains one way teams solve that.
- The depth of the smaller teams. Regional squads may have fewer household names but still produce upsets in a single-elimination round.
For more on the pros, see our pro tour pages.
What is not confirmed
- As of a late-September report, prize money had not been announced.
- Broadcast: one report says PickleballTV carries the event. Check the official event page for current viewing options.
- Do not confuse this with the Minor League Pickleball Nations Cup, a separate competition for players of all levels that DUPR describes in its own announcement.
If an event is on near you, our court finder can help you find somewhere to play after you have finished watching.
