Amateur Pickleball Championship in Singapore 2026

Photo Credit: Singapore Pickleball

Pickleball, one of the fastest-growing sports globally, is set to establish itself firmly in Southeast Asia when Singapore hosts the first-ever amateur pickleball championship next year. This landmark event represents a significant milestone for both the nation and the broader Asian pickleball community, signalling how the sport has transcended its North American roots to capture hearts and minds across the region.

The amateur pickleball championship in Singapore will take place from 30 April to 3 May 2026 at the Kallang Tennis Hub, situated just a short distance from the National Stadium. With the Singapore Sports Hub serving as the official venue partner, this four-day tournament promises to be a monumental celebration of the sport. The Singapore Tourism Board has thrown its support behind the event through an official three-year partnership—the first time the statutory board has formally backed an international pickleball championship.

The Scale and Scope of the Championship

What makes the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore particularly distinctive is its ambitious scope. Event organisers are anticipating well over 1,000 players from across the globe to compete in this inaugural tournament. Rather than limiting participation to elite professionals, the championship embraces a philosophy of mass participation, drawing parallels to marathons, Hyrox fitness races, and Spartan obstacle courses where amateurs and serious enthusiasts share equal standing.

This accessibility-first approach has been carefully crafted by Victor Cui, one of the championship’s founders. With an impressive background that includes co-founding ONE Championship and leading roles at ESPN Star Sports and the PGA Tour, Cui brings decades of sports industry expertise to the table. He has previously been instrumental in marketing major sporting events, including the Sydney Olympics and the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. His vision for the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore reflects a deliberate shift away from exclusive professional tournaments.

‘Pickleball is growing really fast but I don’t want this event to be in the professional space. This is about mass participation,’ Cui explained regarding the championship’s philosophy. The goal is straightforward: to create a platform where amateur players from all corners of the world have a genuine chance to participate, compete, and test their skills against international opposition.

Prize Money and Growing Investment

A guaranteed prize purse of at least US$50,000 underpins the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore, a significant investment that reflects the tournament’s professional calibre despite its amateur classification. What makes this particularly intriguing is the dynamic mechanism governing prize distribution. The purse escalates with every new player registration, meaning the final prize pool could substantially exceed the initial guarantee by the time the tournament commences.

‘The amount will escalate with every new player registration. By the time the tournament starts, the prize purse is expected to be one of the largest in amateur pickleball,’ Cui noted. This innovative approach incentivises participation whilst ensuring that competitors have meaningful prizes to play for. As more players register from around the world, the total pot grows, creating both excitement and motivation for potential entrants.

Tournament Format and Accessibility

The tournament has implemented a structured yet inclusive qualification system for the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore. Players can secure spots through several pathways: by achieving top rankings in the DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) system within their respective countries, by winning sanctioned local tournaments, or through direct entry options reserved for corporate partners and sponsors.

DUPR, the official rating system for amateur and professional pickleball, provides a standardised measure of player ability across both singles and doubles. The system maintains a database of approximately 1.5 million players from over 9,000 clubs spanning 175 countries. Ratings range from 2.00 for beginners to 8.00 and above for professional-level players, with distinct categories for novice, intermediate, and advanced competitors. This standardisation ensures fair competition and allows players to find appropriately-matched opponents, making the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore a genuinely competitive yet enjoyable experience across all skill levels.

The Festival Atmosphere

Rather than adhering to traditional tournament structures with tiered grandstands and formal spectatorship, organisers envision the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore as a festival-style gathering. Whilst players will pay registration fees, no spectator tickets will be sold, maintaining an open-door philosophy that encourages community engagement. The venue will feature a centre court surrounded by casual lounge spaces designed for socialising and networking.

‘We want to have a centre court, and around it there will be casual lounge spaces for people to mingle and enjoy activities like wine sampling. It will be a festival type of atmosphere,’ Cui described. This approach transforms the event from a purely competitive affair into a cultural experience, blending sporting excellence with community celebration.

Pickleball’s Explosive Growth in Asia

The amateur pickleball championship in Singapore arrives at a particularly opportune moment. Pickleball has experienced remarkable growth across the region and globally. In the United States alone, nearly 20 million players currently participate in the sport. Asia presents an even more staggering figure, with research data indicating that over 800 million people have played pickleball at least once. Projections suggest that the global player base will approach 40 million by 2030.

The DUPR system is gaining 20,000 new users weekly, with approximately half of these registrations originating from South-East Asia, including countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. This explosive growth underscores why hosting the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore represents such strategic timing and cultural significance. Asia is positioned to experience a genuine pickleball boom, and Singapore, with its world-class sporting infrastructure and established reputation as a premier sporting destination, stands perfectly positioned to lead this expansion.

Why Singapore?

Singapore has emerged as an ideal host for the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore for several compelling reasons. The nation boasts top-tier sporting facilities, a well-developed tourism infrastructure, and a growing domestic pickleball community. The Singapore Tourism Board’s commitment to the championship over three years demonstrates official confidence in both the event’s immediate success and its long-term significance for the nation’s sporting calendar.

The Kallang Tennis Hub provides purpose-built facilities capable of accommodating a tournament of this magnitude whilst maintaining accessibility for players and visitors. Proximity to the National Stadium further reinforces Singapore’s established positioning as a premier sporting destination on the international stage.

Looking Ahead

The first-ever amateur pickleball championship in Singapore promises to be a watershed moment for the sport in Asia. By combining accessible participation pathways with serious prize money, professional-standard facilities, and a community-focused ethos, organisers have crafted an event that appeals to both competitive athletes and casual enthusiasts. The championship will undoubtedly attract international attention and strengthen Singapore’s reputation as a hub for innovative, inclusive sporting events.

As pickleball continues its rapid expansion across Asia, the amateur pickleball championship in Singapore will serve as a benchmark for future regional tournaments. It represents not merely a sporting event but a cultural statement about the sport’s maturation and its capacity to unite players from diverse backgrounds under a shared passion. For both Singapore and the wider Asian pickleball community, the April 2026 championship marks an exciting new chapter in the sport’s remarkable global journey.