Major League Pickleball shifts to Austin, Texas this week for the fourth regular-season event of the 2026 campaign, with 11 teams battling for valuable standings points in the race to the playoffs. The Austin stop forms part of MLP’s nine-event regular season and features teams divided into two groups. Each side will play a round-robin schedule before the top four teams from each group advance to Sunday’s placement matches.
Defending champions Columbus Sliders enter Austin as favorites in Group A. Led by Andrei Daescu, CJ Klinger, Parris Todd and Danni-Elle Townsend, Columbus will look to continue its strong form after emerging as one of the league’s most consistent teams.
Group A also features the California Black Bears, Carolina Hogs, Miami Pickleball Club and SoCal Hard Eights. SoCal will be aiming to challenge for second place with a roster featuring Armaan Bhatia, Will MacKinnon, Meghan Dizon and Cailyn Campbell.
Miami arrive with a revamped roster following the acquisition of Dylan Frazier, while California and Carolina will seek to upset higher-ranked opposition and strengthen their playoff hopes.
In Group B, the spotlight falls on the New Jersey 5s, who remain one of the strongest teams in the league. Anna Leigh Waters, Jorja Johnson, Will Howells and Noe Khlif headline a lineup expected to contend for the event title.
The Dallas Flash and Texas Ranchers are projected to battle for second place in the group. Dallas continue to rely on JW Johnson, Tyra Black, Brooke Buckner and Augie Ge, while Texas will debut newly acquired Nico Acevedo alongside Lea Jansen, Layne Sleeth and Eric Oncins.
Atlanta Bouncers, Bay Area Breakers and Florida Smash complete the group.
MLP’s co-ed team format features four matches between teams — women’s doubles, men’s doubles and two mixed doubles contests. If the score is tied after those games, a singles tiebreaker known as the DreamBreaker decides the winner.
The 2026 MLP season runs from May through August and includes nine regular-season events, a Mid-Season Tournament and a three-stage playoff series. The top 12 teams in the standings will qualify for the playoffs, with the top four seeds earning first-round byes.
Austin marks the next key stop in that journey as teams continue their push toward postseason qualification.
