{"id":3634,"date":"2026-06-03T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/?post_type=news&p=3634"},"modified":"2026-06-03T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:00:00","slug":"mlp-stlouis-preview","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/mlp-stlouis-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"MLP St. Louis kicks off June 4-7\u2014champion Shock defends at home, 11 teams clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

The third regular-season event of MLP (Major League Pickleball) 2026, \u201cMLP St. Louis,\u201d opens tomorrow, June 4. The venue is Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The 2025 MLP Cup champions St. Louis Shock take on all comers on their home court, as 11 teams\u2014including the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, which acquired Chris Haworth, and the LA Mad Drops, undefeated champions in Dallas\u2014face a four-day battle.<\/p>\n

Pool grouping and marquee matchups\u2014Brooklyn, LA, and Phoenix gather in Group A<\/h2>\n

The 11 teams are split into two groups and compete in a three-day round-robin format. Group A (6 teams) has the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, LA Mad Drops, Las Vegas Night Owls, Phoenix Flames, SoCal Hard Eights, and Utah Black Diamonds. Group B (5 teams) lists the Atlanta Bouncers, Bay Area Breakers, Orlando Squeeze, St. Louis Shock, and Palm Beach Royals.<\/p>\n

The highlight of Group A is the direct clash between Brooklyn, in their first full event after Haworth joined, and the LA Mad Drops, undefeated champions of the opening Dallas event (Friday 14:30 CT). In Group B, champions St. Louis Shock face back-to-back matches against the Atlanta Bouncers (Friday 16:00 CT) and the Palm Beach Royals (Saturday 16:00 CT).<\/p>\n

St. Louis Shock's home hosting\u2014a touchstone for the champions' repeat<\/h2>\n

St. Louis Shock became champions at the MLP Cup in November 2025. In the 2026 season, this is their second event and a home hosting, following the opening Dallas event. Chaifetz Arena is also home to college basketball (Saint Louis University), and the 3,500-capacity arena transforms into dedicated pickleball courts.<\/p>\n

The home-team advantage is not to be underestimated. Even in the 2025 season, home-hosting teams' win rates topped away rates, and for the Shock it's a good chance to build up early-season points with the backing of local fans.<\/p>\n

Four-day match schedule (CT = Central Time)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Schedule<\/th>\nTime (CT)<\/th>\nChampionship Court<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
6\/4 (Thu)<\/td>\n10:00<\/td>\nLas Vegas vs Brooklyn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/4 (Thu)<\/td>\n11:30<\/td>\nPhoenix vs SoCal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/4 (Thu)<\/td>\n13:00<\/td>\nAtlanta vs Palm Beach<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/4 (Thu)<\/td>\n14:30<\/td>\nLA Mad Drops vs Utah<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/4 (Thu)<\/td>\n16:00<\/td>\nBay Area vs St. Louis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/5 (Fri)<\/td>\n10:00<\/td>\nOrlando vs Atlanta<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/5 (Fri)<\/td>\n11:30<\/td>\nUtah vs Brooklyn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/5 (Fri)<\/td>\n13:00<\/td>\nLA vs Phoenix<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/5 (Fri)<\/td>\n14:30<\/td>\nBrooklyn vs LA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/5 (Fri)<\/td>\n16:00<\/td>\nSt. Louis vs Atlanta<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/6 (Sat)<\/td>\n10:00<\/td>\nUtah vs Phoenix<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/6 (Sat)<\/td>\n11:30<\/td>\nSt. Louis vs Orlando<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/6 (Sat)<\/td>\n13:00<\/td>\nPhoenix vs Brooklyn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/6 (Sat)<\/td>\n14:30<\/td>\nSoCal vs LA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/6 (Sat)<\/td>\n16:00<\/td>\nPalm Beach vs St. Louis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/7 (Sun)<\/td>\n10:00<\/td>\nA 3rd vs B 3rd<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/7 (Sun)<\/td>\n12:00<\/td>\nA 2nd vs B 2nd<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6\/7 (Sun)<\/td>\nAround 14:00<\/td>\nA 1st vs B 1st<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Players to watch and team reactions<\/h2>\n

The news that the Brooklyn Pickleball Team acquired PPA world No. 1 Chris Haworth in March shook the industry. In the opening Dallas event they fought with a new roster after releasing Christian Alshon, making St. Louis an event where their true worth with a full lineup is put to the test.<\/p>\n

The LA Mad Drops went undefeated to win the opening Dallas event. In addition to a powerful lineup featuring Ben Johns, they acquired Samantha Parker on June 1, strengthening their women's doubles as well. The Brooklyn\u2013LA clash on Friday at 14:30 is the biggest marquee matchup of this event.<\/p>\n

The Atlanta Bouncers acquired Jessie Irvine in March. With both Christian and Devilliers, their 2026 PPA doubles partners, now on the same team, the range of mixed-doubles combinations has widened.<\/p>\n

How to watch from Japan<\/h2>\n

All matches are streamed on Pickleball TV and the Pickleball TV app. On Saturday and Sunday, TV broadcasts are also planned on Tennis Channel (13:00-17:00 ET \/ 2:00-6:00 the next morning Japan time). On Sunday there is also a broadcast on MSG Network.<\/p>\n

In Japan time, matches run from around midnight (0:00) into the early morning (around 7:00) from Thursday to Saturday. Watching live means the late-night hours, but archived streaming is also available on the Pickleball TV app.<\/p>\n

The playoff race in light of the Columbus results<\/h2>\n

MLP 2026 accumulates event standing points across the 9-event regular season, and the top teams advance to the playoffs. Following the results of the first event in Dallas and the second in Columbus, St. Louis marks the turning point of the early season for each team.<\/p>\n

On the final day, Sunday, cross-group matchups based on group standings are held, awarding up to 25 points. Because the results from Day 1 through Day 3 directly connect to the final day's matchups and points earned, the tension of not being able to drop a single match continues for four days.<\/p>\n

Tournament overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Tournament Name<\/td>\nMLP St. Louis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dates<\/td>\nJune 4 (Thu) \u2013 7 (Sun), 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Venues<\/td>\nChaifetz Arena\uff081 S Compton Ave, St. Louis, MO\uff09<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number of participating teams<\/td>\n11 teams (Group A: 6 \/ Group B: 5)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Broadcast<\/td>\nPickleball TV \/ Tennis Channel (Sat-Sun) \/ MSG Network (Sun)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tickets<\/td>\nTicketmaster\uff08Courtside \/ VIP\uff09<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Season positioning<\/td>\nThird regular-season event (of 9 total)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Summary<\/h2>\n

MLP St. Louis is this season's first big event where three powerhouses line up together: Brooklyn with Haworth added, LA undefeated in Dallas, and home champions Shock. The June 4 opener, Las Vegas vs Brooklyn, is not to be missed. This important four-day stretch in the early season, as the playoff race gets going in earnest, is one to follow on Pickleball TV.<\/p>\n

Source:
\nMajor League Pickleball \u2013 MLP St. Louis 2026<\/a>
\nMajor League Pickleball \u2013 St. Louis Match Schedule<\/a><\/p>\n

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\nMLP 2026 opens: LA Mad Drops sweep Dallas undefeated\u2014Ben Johns the driving force behind a perfect run<\/a>
\nJust Before MLP 2026 Kicks Off -- The Full Picture of 20-Team Integration, 6-Player Rosters, and 3-Week Playoffs<\/a>
\nMLP trade window part 2\u2014Brooklyn acquires Haworth, Texas reinforces with three major players<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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