PH Pickleball Federation bracing for more competitive World Cup 2026

MANILA, May 31 ------ After a Round of 16 finish in the 2025 Pickleball World Cup, the Philippine Pickleball Federation is bracing for tougher competition in the 2026 edition.

The PPF wants to expand the qualifiers with more countries and top level pickleball players expected to join this year's tournament. PPF President Shery Cu told ABS-CBN News organizers removed the limits to skill ratings and DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating), meaning even the elite professional players can play.

Qualifiers will be held for the Open (19+), Seniors (50+), Juniors (18 and Under) categories. "The Philippine contingent that we're sending there, we've also had to determine which groups that we're going to send and what categories we're going to be competing in. Because the team categories this year is going to be very, very competitive," she said. "We've been very selective about which category so we're going to be doing qualifiers in order for us to really pick the best players that we have to represent the country," Cu added.

The PPF President said the qualifiers will be aligned to how the format of the World Cup to give players a feel of the actual tournament. "We're not saying that whoever's top in DUPR, top in skill level, you're the ones who are going to represent the country," she said.

Cu said having the World Cup in Asia, where pickleball continues to grow, will give more opportunities to players who want to represent Team Philippines. "There were logistical challenges that happened that the players actually that we wanted to send were not able to go, not all of them. And with this year, we have more time and also it's closer, it's in Asia. And that's an advantage for us," she said. "It's almost the same, it's the same time zone, the same climate. So that's why we really want to also open it because in the last few months... we've had more players come in and we've been discovering more talent that's also at that higher level," Cu added.

PPF Ambassador Stella Almeda Lopez-Lavy is optimistic Team Philippines will showcase Filipino talent on the pickleball stage and the growth of the sport in the country. "I think we did really, really well.... We had all together like six medals, three golds. So that says something about the Filipinos. And I think the reason why I'm very excited about this year is because it's in Asia now," she said. "I think there's a lot of talent now and so I think just trying to identify who our best players are and then also just developing them. I think it would be great if they could get some coaching," Lopez-Lavy explained.

Beyond looking at the ratings of the players, Lopez-Lavy underscored the importance of having chemistry and versatility. "I hope when they identify the players that they do make that there is an effort made to actually get the team not just playing together but being coached and developed by somebody," she shared. "So that they can actually really develop you know playing well together and develop the chemistry and develop that good partnership and compatibility in putting together people with compatible playing styles together," Lopez-Lavy added.

With the Pickleball World Cup happening closer to the Philippines, Cu and Lopez-Lavy are rallying for support for the country's representatives. "It will be a crucial turn to see Asian talent. And, you know, having Filipinos there supporting the team not just watching all the other players but cheering on and really boosting the morale of the team will be a very big factor," Cu said. "I hope a lot of the Asian community and I hope the Filipino community comes out to even just support their teams because it'll be really fun. I have to tell you, the experience last year was so, so fun. Playing with, you know, 68 countries. It's kind of like the Olympics," Lopez-Lavy shared. "I'm very excited for Asia as a region that may have been underrepresented last year. I think this year, you know, it's going to be very interesting to see given that it's close that now you're going to see a lot of the Asian countries really step up," she added.

The Pickleball World Cup 2026 will take place from August 31 to September 5 in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com