Nepal will step onto the worldwide pickleball stage for the very first time this yr, because the Pickleball Affiliation Nepal has formally unveiled the nationwide squad for the 2026 Pickleball World Cup in Da Nang, Vietnam.
It marks a major milestone for a sport that has solely been nurtured within the nation for the previous 5 years. From Jhapa within the east to Surkhet and Jumla within the west, and from the Himalayan foothills all the way down to the Terai, pickleball has shortly discovered its footing throughout communities and age teams.
From Colleges to the Pickleball World Cup
The affiliation has been driving progress by way of its From College to Olympics marketing campaign, introducing coaching programmes, grassroots competitions, and consciousness drives. Pickleball’s attraction lies in its accessibility—it blends parts of tennis, badminton, and desk tennis, but requires comparatively modest infrastructure and price.
Nepali gamers have already proven promise overseas, gathering medals in tournaments throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. That success has fuelled perception that the game may also change into a tourism draw, with worldwide gamers and followers discovering Nepal by way of pickleball.
Personal sector backing has helped make this World Cup debut potential. Bam Bam Hydration Drinks has come on board as the primary sponsor, alongside contributions from different enterprise organisations. Affiliation President Saurabh Bhandari credited the collective effort of gamers, coaches, mother and father, and sponsors for turning the dream into actuality, and expressed confidence that the workforce will ship a robust efficiency.
The Highway Forward
Nepal will compete in each the open and senior classes. Within the open division, they’re grouped with Australia, Belgium, and Kenya. Within the senior bracket, they are going to face South Africa, India, and Germany. With 64 nations collaborating, the competitors guarantees to be one of many largest gatherings of pickleball expertise ever staged.
The World Cup runs from 20 August to six September in Da Nang, the place Nepal’s debut shall be intently watched—not simply as a sporting contest, however as an emblem of how far the sport has travelled in such a short while.
