The Canadian National Pickleball League (CNPL) is proud to be a founding member of the first-ever Global Pro Pickleball Tour.
Canadian professional pickleball players now have a clear pathway to compete on the world stage.
The Canadian National Pickleball League (CNPL) is proud to be a founding member of the first-ever Global Pro Pickleball Tour. Working alongside the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) and five other international organizations, the CNPL helped build this historic alliance that brings together professional leagues from across the globe to create a unified world calendar, transparent global rankings, and sustainable career opportunities for athletes.
A Truly Global Partnership
The alliance represents pickleball's most significant step toward becoming a truly international professional sport. Alongside Canada's CNPL, the partnership includes:
Association of Pickleball Players (APP) - United States
European Pickleball Federation (EPF)
Global Sports - India
National Pickleball League (NPL) - Australia
Pickleball England - United Kingdom
Pickleball D-Joy - Vietnam
Together, these organizations will coordinate non-conflicting schedules, align ranking points across events, and collaborate on tiered prize pools—all designed with players' interests at the center.
What This Means for Canadian Players
For years, Canadian professional pickleball players have competed primarily within their own borders. While the CNPL has provided elite-level competition domestically, opportunities for international play remained limited and fragmented.
That changes now.
The Global Pro Pickleball Tour delivers exactly what the sport has needed: a coordinated global schedule that allows players to compete internationally without conflicts, transparent rankings that recognize performance across all events, and a credible pathway to rise, compete, and earn at the highest levels.
CNPL players can now participate in 30+ events across multiple continents throughout the 2025-26 season. The tour features major opens in the United States, England, India, Vietnam, Australia, Europe, and right here in Canada. Each tournament feeds into a single, unified global ranking system—a first for professional pickleball.
Canada on the World Stage
The 2026 Canadian Open, scheduled for September, takes a prominent place on the world tour calendar. This event will bring international pros to Canadian soil to compete against our best players, showcasing elite pickleball while opening doors for Canadian athletes to prove themselves against global competition.
The significance cannot be overstated: Canadian players will compete at home in front of their own fans while earning points toward global rankings. It's an opportunity to demonstrate that Canadian pickleball belongs among the world's best.
A New Era for Professional Pickleball
This alliance represents more than just coordinated scheduling. It signals professional pickleball's maturation as a global sport with legitimate career pathways for athletes.
Players can now plan year-round competition schedules, knowing they're earning recognized rankings that matter across all major leagues. Prize pools and commercial opportunities will be coordinated to ensure sustainability. Most importantly, athletes have clarity about how to build professional careers in the sport.
For CNPL players specifically, this opens doors that simply didn't exist before. Whether competing in Seattle, Melbourne, London, or Mumbai, Canadian athletes can now represent their country on the world stage while building their professional résumés.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 CNPL season kicks off May 9-10 in Oakville, positioning Canadian players for a full schedule of domestic competition before the Canadian Open in September. With the Global Pro Pickleball Tour now operational, our athletes have never had more opportunities to compete, grow, and earn.
This is the moment Canadian pickleball has been building toward. Our players are ready. The world is watching.
2026 CNPL Season Opener: May 9-10 at CourtX, Oakville
Canadian Open: September 2026
Global Tour Events: 30+ tournaments across 6 continents
For more information about the Global Pro Pickleball Tour, visit gpapickleball.org