The Cup gets described as a world championship, which undersells how unusual its format is. A tie between two nations is not one match — it is decided across men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed, played round-robin with rotating partners. Reporting on the format describes it as Davis Cup crossed with the team dynamics of Major League Pickleball.
The consequence is worth understanding before you watch a single point: you cannot carry a country with one outstanding player. Rotating partners means every name on a roster gets exposed at some stage, so the nations that win ties are the ones with depth across the whole squad. It is the reason India's 2025 haul came disproportionately from its senior draws, where its roster was strongest.
The national event also splits into five categories — Open, Kids, Junior, Senior and Master — each scored separately. That is how a nation can finish seventh overall, as India did on debut, without winning the marquee Open title.
Running alongside all of it is the open International Tournament, drawn by age group and DUPR rating. It is why a club player from Pune can enter the same venues, in the same week, as the national teams. We have published a full explainer of both.
How the Cup works →