What is the 2026 World Pickleball Championship and will there be a Vietnamese player?

The large number of participating countries contributed to the tournament being recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest pickleball tournament by participating nationality. At the same time, the organizer gave a certificate of appreciation to the most expensive pickleball cup, which was held on September 2 in Da Nang.

What is the 2026 World Pickleball Championship?

The Pickleball World Cup is an international tournament that brings together national teams and individual athletes. Its large size and varied content make it suitable not only for professional players, but also for a wide range of age groups and skill levels.

The 2026 World Pickleball Championship marks the third season of the tournament and the first time it has been held in Asia. The tournament is hosted by Vietnam and the matches are mainly played at Tien Son Sports Complex and Tuen Son Sports Complex (Da Nang).

The competition program at the World Championship held in Da Nang was divided into two main categories: national and individual. In individual competition, athletes were grouped by age and DUPR level – a ranking system commonly used in pickleball.

The large number of athletes led to a large-scale competition that included numerous events and medal collections. The tournament included two main categories: national and individual, classified by skill level from 3.0 to 5.0 according to the DUPR rating system (a rating system commonly used in pickleball), as well as by professional level.

Competitions are also organized in different age categories, including open, senior, masters, juniors and children, allowing professional players and players of different ages and skill levels to compete.

This year’s competition also attracted many international dignitaries such as Guy de Villiers (France), Harsh Mehta (India), Ross van Ryk (Netherlands), Nicola Schumann (Australia), Vivienne Gluzmann, Jack Munro and Bobby Oshiro (USA) and Jack Wong (Hong Kong).

With a prize fund of USD 500,000 (equivalent to VND 13 billion), the 2026 Pickleball World Cup is one of the world’s highest prize pool pickleball tournaments, attracting many international players to compete in Da Nang.

What are the names of the participating Vietnamese football players?

Vietnam’s national team includes 29 athletes participating in various events. The Vietnamese team in the open event includes many famous athletes such as Do Minh Quan, Le Hoang Nam, Quang Dung, Vuc Huynh, Trinh Linh Giang, Kien Tam, Sophia Huynh Tran, Huynh Phuong Dai Trang and Si Bui Ngoc.

Le Hoang Nam was once the best tennis player in Vietnam, Trinh Lin Giang and Do Minh Quan have many years of tennis experience. Their technical skills, movement, ball handling and competitive experience are huge advantages when transitioning to pickleball.

Quang Duong also gets a lot of attention. This Vietnamese-American player has experience competing in the professional pickleball system in the United States, and his participation greatly enhances the strength of the local team.

In the category of national teams, the national team of Vietnam is in the first group of the open championship competitions together with the national teams of Colombia, Cayman Islands and Chile. Representatives of the host country will also participate in the first group of the master and children’s competitions.

The Vietnamese pickleball team has achieved significant success in the tournament, winning 106 gold, 74 silver and 64 bronze medals, for a total of 244 medals after 5 days of competition (August 30 to September 3).

Lee Hwang Nam achieved remarkable success at the 2026 World Pickleball Championship by reaching the finals in three categories: Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles Professional Category (Professional Category).