2026
How the League Works
Everything about format, finals, venues, points and tiebreakers - in one place.
The National Pickleball League is Australia's premier professional teams competition. 12 teams across 3 state-based conferences compete in a unique team format - combining singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. The season culminates in a national Finals series to crown one champion.
12
Teams
3
Conferences
1
Champion
League Composition
12 teams are divided across 3 conference state-based conferences. The top 3 teams from each conference qualify for the national Finals.
Queensland
4 teams
Victoria
4 teams
New South Wales
4 teams
Team Composition
Every team fields 4 players - 2 men + 2 women - selected through a draft process.
4 Players
2 Men + 2 Women
Snake Draft
Team selection method
Captains Selected
Nationally appointed
Match Format
Every match consists of 5 sets, each played to 15 points. The first team to win 3 sets takes the match.
First to 22, rally scoring
First to 22, rally scoring
First to 15, traditional scoring, switch at 8
First to 15, traditional scoring, switch at 8
First to 22, rally scoring, teams select best pairing
Season Structure
Season Features
The Tiers
Pro Tour (12 teams) + Division 02 (18 teams)
The Twist
Mid-season re-draft after Round 04
Finals Format
9 teams qualify for a 3-day Finals in Melbourne. Top 4 double chance.
9 Teams
Qualify
3 Days
Finals Weekend
Top 4
Double chance
Grand Final
1 Champion
Streaming
NPL Greenzone LIVE from 1pm–6pm each Saturday, showcasing the best games across the country — live action from all 6 games at once from 1pm and from 3pm
ALL games individually live streamed to NPL YouTube
Conference Venues
Scoring & Ladder
Points System
- Match win (3–2 or 4–1) = 3 pts
- Clean sweep win (5–0) = 4 pts (3 + 1 bonus)
- Narrow loss (2–3) = 1 consolation pt
- Any other loss = 0 pts
Tiebreakers
- NPL Points
- Set difference
- Points difference
- Head-to-head
Prize Pool
Prize breakdown
$150,000
Total Prize Pool
| Place | Label | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Champion | $60,000 |
| 2 | Runner Up | $25,000 |
| 3 | Third | $16,000 |
| 4 | Fourth | $8,000 |
| 5 | Semi Finalist | $1,800 |
| 6 | Semi Finalist | $1,800 |
| 7 | Finalist | $1,400 |
| 8 | Finalist | $1,400 |
| 9 | Playoffs | $600 |
Documents
Season documents
FAQs
