USA Pickleball Releases 2026 Golden Ticket Schedule
Four destinations are repeat hosts for the prestigious tournments
Posted On: September 4, 2025 By :USA Pickleball has released the official schedule of Golden Ticket tournaments for the 2026 season, with events providing a pathway for amateur athletes to gain priority registration for the 2026 USA Pickleball National Championships, held annually in November.
Only at these tournaments will gold medal winners receive a “Golden Ticket,” granting them pre–registration for the USA Pickleball National Championships. The Golden Tickets events will be hosted by USA Pickleball and in partnership with the Association of Pickleball Players and two nationwide tournament directors.
“Golden Ticket tournaments are the heartbeat of our competitive pathway and a celebration of the best of pickleball,” said Mike Nealy, chief executive officer of USA Pickleball. “With this 2026 Golden Ticket schedule, we’re thrilled to return to several cities and explore new opportunities throughout the country, while also strengthening our collaboration with both the APP Tour and veteran tournament directors to create more opportunities for players to earn their way to Nationals.”
Four locations previously hosted Golden Ticket tournaments that will return to the docket in 2026. The Phoenix/Glendale, Arizona, area will host its second event as it kicks off the 2026 slate from January 21–25. Las Vegas, which hosted a Golden Ticket event in 2024, is back from February 18–22.
USA Pickleball returns to the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego — site of the 2025 National Championships — for Golden Ticket play from April 22–26. Colorado Springs will host a Golden Ticket event for the second year in a row from June 24–28.
The final 2025 Golden Ticket tournament will take place November 5–9 at the APP Mesa Open in Mesa, Arizona.
“We’re proud to embark upon another exciting season together with our longtime partners at USA Pickleball,” said APP Founder Ken Herrmann. “The USA Pickleball National Championships is a major highlight of the pickleball calendar, a world-class, unique event that is held in incredibly high regard among APP tournament players, quite rightly. Our partnership with USA Pickleball has created the perfect pathway for players to punch their ticket to Nationals at APP event and there’s no better opportunity to earn your Golden Ticket than at one of our tournaments.”
2026 USA Pickleball Golden Ticket Schedule
January 21–25: USA Pickleball Golden Ticket – Glendale, Arizona
February 18–22: APP Daytona Beach Open – Daytona Beach, Florida
February 18–22: USA Pickleball Golden Ticket – Las Vegas
March 25–29: USA Pickleball Golden Ticket – Boise, Idaho
March 25–29: APP Fort Lauderdale Open – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
April 22–26: USA Pickleball Golden Ticket – San Diego
April 29–May 3: APP Sacramento Open – Sacramento
May 13–17: APP Southern California Open – Newport Beach, California
May 27–31: APP Virginia Beach Open – Virginia Beach
June 3–7: Golden Ticket – Wayne, New Jersey
June 10–14: APP Vlasic Classic – Cincinnati
June 24–28: USA Pickleball Golden Ticket – Colorado Springs
July 8–12: Golden Ticket – Seattle
July 22–26: APP Chicago Open – Chicago