The USA Pickleball-sanctioned semi-pro league「Ultimate Pickleball League（UPL）」opens its landmark first season on April 18, 2026. It is drawing attention as the third professional league following the PPA and MLP, adopting the DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) as its official rating. In addition to multiple cities in the US, international expansion to Costa Rica and the Philippines is also planned.
What is the UPL -- how it differs from existing leagues
A new layer called "semi-pro"
The UPL's positioning is clear. If the PPA Tour is the peak for top pros andthe MLP is a team-vs-team pro league,then the UPL is"a semi-pro league that fills the gap between recreation and pro."It provides intermediate-to-advanced players aiming for the top level both "a place to earn" and "a place to grow."
- USA Pickleball-sanctioned: rules and refereeing are operated to a unified standard
- DUPR adopted: DUPR ratings are used for player placement, team composition, and league balance
- Community-based: each team partners with its local community to build a fan base
- International expansion: teams are also planned in Costa Rica and the Philippines
Anyone can try out
A distinctive feature of the UPL is open tryouts. Tryouts are being held in multiple cities in Canada, such as Kelowna, Vernon, and Penticton, and any player with a DUPR score can try to make a team.US OpenAs with amateur-pro mixed events like the US Open, more "entry points to pro" leads to raising the level of the whole sport.
The picture of pickleball's "warring-leagues era"
The three-pole system of PPA, MLP, and UPL
The 2026 pro pickleball scene is being organized so that three leagues cover different segments.
- PPA Tour: the top pro circuit for individual play. The pinnacle in prize money and media exposure
- MLP: a team-vs-team pro league.An Amazon Prime documentaryhas rapidly raised its profile
- UPL: semi-pro plus community-based. A bridge from the grassroots to pro
Ripple effects on Japan
The UPL's plan to expand to the Philippines shows that demand for a semi-pro league has been confirmed in the Asia-Pacific region.In Japan too, a five-company alliance of ASICS, Dentsu, and Mitsui Fudosanhas been formed, so there is fertile ground for a semi-pro league to be organized domestically. The success or failure of the UPL's first season will directly affect the speed of its Asia rollout, Japan included. We'll be watching the opening event's results and operating model.
