Pickleball, tennis and padel each have their own verified rating system, qualifying pathway and champions. Compete in the sports you choose. Results never cross over.
No championship entry fee. Required sport membership, Tour Card and personal travel costs still apply.
The first championships are held October 14, 2027
Six months to sign up and calibrate. Six months to score. Then regionals and the Florida final.
Local verified play → regionals → Florida for eligible invited divisions. Adult and 50+ Flight A and B gold earn championship rings and the published cash awards.
Local verified play → regionals → Florida for eligible invited divisions. Adult and 50+ Flight A and B gold earn championship rings and the published cash awards.
Local verified play → regionals → Florida for eligible invited divisions. Adult and 50+ Flight A and B gold earn championship rings and the published cash awards.
Every sport follows the same pathway. Each keeps separate records and separate winners — no combined rating, shared qualifying points or requirement to play all three sports.
Pickleball Tour Championship
The pickleball pathway.
Pickleball follows the same pathway as every PADL sport: local verified play, regionals, then the Florida final, with the same flights, qualifying rules and published prizes. Only pickleball results and PPI for Pickleball count here.
There is no entry fee.
PADL does not charge to play local qualifying, regionals, or Florida. No buy-in. No bracket fee. Other tournaments charge to enter. This one does not.
Your PPI sets your flight. Your recent verified record supports an invitation.
To qualify you must:
Be a PADL USA member on Rookie or Tour Level (Tour Level is earned, never bought)
Hold a Digital Tour Card / NFT scorecard so results can be written and verified
Build verified results against opponents within 0.50 PPI for Pickleball during the last 90 days. Each format keeps a separate qualifying record.
Pickleball · Three layers
Local. Regional. Florida.
Layer 1
Local
Beginner and developing players
Log verified matches, fill your Digital Tour Card, earn badges and scorecard marks. Club days and small credits.
No Florida ring — and that's the point.
Layer 2
Regional
Every flight titles here
Flight C and Flight D (developing) crown their champions at regionals. Medal, credit, PPI, scorecard championship badge and promotion.
A and B winners also earn Florida entry.
No entry fee. Invitation by PPI. Rookie or Tour Level + scorecard required.
Layer 3
Florida
Invite only
Adult Flight A (open / 19–49), 50+ / Legends Flight A, Adult Flight B (open / 19–49), 50+ / Legends Flight B, and Juniors 14U and 18U. Rings for adult and 50+ gold plus the published cash and scholarships.
This is the final, not the festival.
No entry fee. Invitation by PPI. Rookie or Tour Level + scorecard required.
What you play for
Championship rings, cash awards and podium medals.
Adult Flight A, Adult Flight B, 50+ / Legends Flight A, and 50+ / Legends Flight B champions play for the Florida rings and published cash awards. Regional and junior champions earn their own official podium medals. Every sport crowns its own champions with the same awards.
Men’s championship ringWomen’s championship ring
Pickleball · Florida adult and 50+ gold
Flight A
Championship ring + $2,500
Flight B
Championship ring + $1,500
Florida silver and bronze finishers receive medals.
Regional podium
Regional championship medals
Gold, silver and bronze medals for regional champions. Open and 50+ Flight A and B regional gold also advances to Florida with a $400 travel credit.
Junior podium
14U and 18U medals
Junior champions receive gold, silver and bronze medals, plus the published scholarship or event credit. Junior divisions do not receive rings.
Pickleball · Adult flights
PPI decides your flight.
Verified PPI for Pickleball — not a claimed number — sets where you compete. No self-selected 3.0 brackets.
Flight A
Regional → Florida
Florida gold: ring + $2,500. Silver and bronze: medals.
Flight B
Regional → Florida
Florida gold: ring + $1,500. Silver and bronze: medals.
Flight C
Regional championship only
Medal + credit. Regional gold promotes to B next season (match minimum met). Card stamped Regional C Champion.
Flight D (developing)
Local + regional development day · for developing Rookies, not the Beginner tier
Badge + credit + promotion to C. Card stamped.
Invite / Tour Level
Earned, never bought
Plays Florida Flight A when invited. Same A prizes.
Regional gold (A & B)
Advance to Florida
Florida entry + $400 travel credit.
Pickleball · 50+ / Legends
50+ / Legends Championship
Players age 50 and older compete in a separate 50+ pathway. PPI for Pickleball still sets the flight. Regional gold in 50+ Flight A and 50+ Flight B advance to the Florida final.
50+ Flight A
Florida gold: Championship ring + $2,500
50+ Flight B
Florida gold: Championship ring + $1,500
Silver and bronze
Medals
Same rules
Same no-entry-fee rules and verified-record requirements as the open adult flights.
Open adult flights (19–49) and 50+ / Legends flights are separate. Players compete in the age group that matches their age at the start of the scoring window. Results do not cross between open and 50+ divisions.
Pickleball · Junior championships
14U and 18U. Regional, then Florida.
Boys Doubles · 14U
Boys Doubles · 18U
Girls Doubles · 14U
Girls Doubles · 18U
Mixed Doubles · 14U
Mixed Doubles · 18U
Junior podium awards are medals plus scholarships or event credit. No junior rings.
Pickleball · Promotion / relegation
Your Digital Tour Card
Everybody is part of this.
Every verified match, regional title, promotion and Florida result writes to your Digital Tour Card / NFT scorecard. The card is how everybody is part of the tour — without giving everybody a ring.
Your pickleball Tour Card records only pickleball achievements. Your pickleball, tennis and padel Tour Cards stay separate — never a combined rating or shared qualifying record.
Every verified match
Written to your Digital Tour Card / NFT scorecard. Beginners get card history from day one.
Regional titles
Regional C and D champions get a season badge — even if they never see Florida.
Players join, calibrate their PPI and partner clubs open in every region.
Months 7–11
Scoring
Verified matches and official PADL days count toward regionals.
Month 11
PPI freeze
Flights set, invitations go out, doubles partners lock.
Month 12
Regionals
All flights — A, B, C and D (developing) — plus juniors.
Month 12
Florida final
Open Flight A, Open Flight B, 50+ Flight A, 50+ Flight B, and Juniors 14U / 18U.
Pickleball · The map
Six regions. One final.
Questions
Straight answers
Pickleball, tennis and padel follow the same pathway, rules and dates. Each sport keeps its own PPI, results and champions.
Anyone can start.
Pick your sport and build your verified record. Strong Championship performances in pickleball, tennis or padel can support scouting for that sport’s PADL Pro Circuit roster. Each city franchise is one organization with three separate player rosters and three head coaches — one per sport. An invitation, draft selection or professional contract is never guaranteed.
