What’s the Score?
Major League Pickleball (MLP) has announced a massive structural overhaul for the 2026 season, marking the end of the two-tier “Premier” and “Challenger” system. The league will contract to 20 teams, with the New York Hustlers, Nashville Chefs, and D.C. Pickleball Team ceasing operations for the upcoming season. As the league unifies into a single tier where every franchise plays every other franchise, roster sizes have expanded to six players, and new rules regarding cash trades for non-contracted players have been implemented.
Hit it deeper!
The contraction is the most significant business move in the league’s recent history. The New York Hustlers will merge with the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, consolidating the New York market, while the Nashville and D.C. franchises are exploring sales. This contraction has flooded the free agency pool with high-level talent, including Rafa Hewett, Stefan Auvergne, and Zane Ford, all of whom will be available in the draft scheduled for February 27.
With the dissolution of the Challenger level, all 20 remaining teams will compete in a single, unified division. To accommodate the increased schedule intensity—teams will now play 23 group play matches—rosters have been mandated to expand to six players. This rule change forces former Challenger teams like the Las Vegas Night Owls and Florida Smash to aggressively acquire talent. Crucially, these teams are now permitted to trade cash for players, a mechanism previously unavailable to them. This rule was immediately utilised by the Chicago Slice, who paid cash to acquire Zane Navratil because their previous starters, Vivian Glozman and James Ignatowich, were no longer under UPA contracts.
The Palm Beach Royals, the league’s newest franchise, have been given specific acquisition parameters. They can execute up to two cash-for-player trades and sign free agents to multi-year deals, ensuring they can field a competitive six-person roster by the season opener. The schedule has also been formalised: regular season events will feature split groups (some events with 11 teams, others with 12) to ensure balanced play leading up to the finals at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
The World Pickleball Verdict
This restructuring represents the “professionalisation” phase of MLP. The elimination of the Challenger level raises the stakes significantly; there is no longer a developmental safety net for struggling franchises. By contracting three teams and unifying the tiers, the league is concentrating talent, ensuring that the product on the court is consistently elite. The expansion to six-player rosters is a nod to player welfare and strategic depth, acknowledging that the grind of a 23-match season requires fresh legs and substitution options. While the contraction of Nashville and D.C. is a blow to those local markets, the consolidation in New York and the unified table suggests MLP is prioritising financial stability and competitive parity over rapid geographic expansion.
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Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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