The Affiliation of Pickleball Gamers (APP) Tour is in motion for the primary time in 2026 this weekend in Seattle.
With some format and registration adjustments this 12 months, the APP Tour is wanting proceed to construct on their accomplishments.
Firstly, late final 12 months the APP Tour introduced that it had joined the International Pickleball Alliance (GPA), making a extra world pickleball tour by way of partnerships.
There have already been 4 GPA occasions:
- Sypik Australia NPL Invitational – December 2025
- APP Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur Open – February 2026
- APP Japan – Tsu Metropolis – February 2026
- Pickleball D-JOY Tour – Leg 1 – March 2026
That is the primary occasion the APP Tour has ever hosted within the Seattle space. The match is happening on the Aspect Out Tsunami Pickleball Middle, which has a complete of 26 indoor courts, together with three championship courts.
I discussed above that the registration course of has modified on the APP Tour. Final 12 months, gamers registered utilizing the UTR Sports activities web site to register, however not in 2026. Since USA Pickleball and the APP Tour has partnered with DUPR, because the official rankings accomplice, the APP Tour has moved away from UTR and is now utilizing pickleballden.com for match registration and DUPR is the official score accomplice of the APP Tour.
It’s the objective of the APP Tour to maneuver towards a progressive draw format in 2026. Somewhat than having a singles day, blended doubles day, gender doubles day, and Championship Sunday, the format will go as follows:
- Thursday – Spherical of 64
- Friday – Spherical of 32 and Spherical of 16
- Saturday – Quarterfinals and Semifinals
- Sunday – Championship Sunday in all disciplines
Lastly, the APP Tour has began and/or renewed some earlier initiatives geared toward amateurs and senior professionals:
- 2026 Humana Cup – 50+ workforce league
- AARP Champions (50+) Division
- AARP Masters (60+) Division
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Huge Information Introduced Forward of the AARP Open Seattle – 2026 APP U.S. Nationwide Workforce Roster
On Tuesday, March twenty fourth, the APP Tour introduced their U.S. Nationwide Workforce Roster:
Led by Head Coaches Lee Whitwell and Chad Edwards, and Director Ken Hermann, the Nationwide Workforce’s official coaching and improvement house is situated at The Fort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 11 participant squad will compete in APP Subsequent occasions along with the professional brackets on the APP Tour.
The way to Watch the APP Tour AARP Open Seattle
Saturday, March 28 – Quarterfinals and Semifinals – 4-10pm ET – APPTV on YouTube
Sunday, March 29 – Championship Matches – 3-9pm ET – APPTV on YouTube
*On April eighth, the CBS Sports activities Community will carry a linear TV recap of the occasion
Fast Take a look at the Attracts
Word: Since there is no such thing as a bracket is offered on pickleballden, I simply checklist the highest 4 seeds in every bracket
Ladies’s Singles
Prime 4 Seeds:
- Sofia Stitching
- Katerina Stewart
- Bobbi Oshiro
- Domenika Turkovic
Prediction: Stewart beats Stitching within the finals
Males’s Singles
Prime 4 Seeds:
- Ronan Camron
- Ammar Wazir
- Dusty Boyer
- Ryler DeHeart
Prediction: Patrick Kawka (5 seed) upsets a pair gamers and wins gold
Combined Doubles
Prime 4 Seeds:
- Sofia Stitching/Jack Munro
- Bobbi Oshiro/Randy Blanco
- Megan Fudge/Richard Livornese
- Christine Maddox/Max “Purple Jesus” Manthou
Prediction: Sofia and Jack win the primary APP occasion of the 12 months over Megan and Richard
Ladies’s Doubles
Prime 4 Seeds:
- Megan Fudge/Sofia Stitching
- Shelby Bates/Bobbi Oshiro
- Jill Braverman/Emilia Schmidt
- Allison Harris/Yana Newell
Prediction: Megan and Sofia beat Shelby and Bobbi
Males’s Doubles
Prime 4 Seeds:
- Richard Livornese/Jack Munro
- Casey Diamond/Aidan Schenk
- Max “Purple Jesus” Manthou/Thomas Yu
- Ryler DeHeart/Kyle Koszuta
Prediction: Jack and Richard beat Casey and Aidan within the finals