The Dink Minor League Pickleball (MiLP) has officially rebranded its premier end-of-season event from "Nationals" to "Championships" to better reflect the global scale of the competition. Scheduled for February 24-28, 2027, at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona, this massive amateur tournament features a $100,000 prize purse and draws thousands of players from around the world.
How to Qualify for Championships
Players looking to secure their spot at the Championships can utilize two primary pathways, both of which rely on performance throughout the MiLP season:
- National Leaderboard: Results from throughout the season accumulate to determine rankings. Top performers on both the standard MiLP leaderboard and the gendered v3 leaderboard earn automatic bids.
- Dream Tickets: Teams that win their specific division at a State Championship or Regional Showdown earn a direct "Dream Ticket" entry to the event.
Additional entry methods include direct bids for MLP-partnered Minor League teams and specific pathways for international competitors.
The Event Schedule
The five-day event spans 41 courts and includes a variety of formats to accommodate different age groups and skill levels. Note that for the Championships, division aggregate caps are increased to account for rating fluctuations throughout the year.
- Wednesday: 50+ divisions round robin play (DUPR 12, 14, 16, and 18).
- Thursday: 50+ bracket playoffs, where every team advances to compete.
- Friday: v3 format (open age and 50+) for DUPR 9, 11, 13, and 15, featuring round robin through brackets in a single day. Nations Cup pool play also begins.
- Saturday: Open age round robin (DUPR 12 through 22) and Nations Cup playoffs.
- Sunday: Open age bracket playoffs and the College Regional tournament.
Competition Formats
The Championships feature five distinct categories of play designed to bring the electric team atmosphere of professional pickleball to the amateur level:
- MiLP Open Age: The classic four-player mixed team format for DUPR levels 12 through 22.
- MiLP 50+: The same classic mixed format, specifically for the 50+ age division.
- v3: A three-player, gendered team format consisting of three games to 21 with no DreamBreaker.
- Nations Cup: A global competition where players represent their home countries in DUPR 14, 16, and 18 divisions.
- College Regional: A one-day event where college teams compete for a bid to the College Pickleball Tour Nationals.
With 2,000 players expected and 21 countries already confirmed, the event has grown significantly since its 2023 inception, evolving from a local tournament into a premier international destination for amateur pickleball athletes.
