World Pickleball Championship Comes to Penang This April, with Two More Legs on July and October
Pickleball is coming to Penang—and it is bringing the world with it.
The World Pickleball Championship (WPC) 2026 is set for 16–19 April 2026 at Pickle By The Sea along Gurney Drive, with between 700 and 800 players expected to compete from across the globe. Organised by Pickleball Global, the Penang leg will serve as the opening stop of the WPC Malaysia Series 2026, a multi-city initiative that will also take the sport to Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru.
For Penang, the stakes go beyond the court. The state is positioning itself as a regional sports hub, with the championship expected to drive tourism and economic activity alongside the competition itself. Penang sports committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen confirmed the state is ready, pointing to infrastructure and logistics already in place.
“We have the infrastructure and venues in place, and from a logistics standpoint, we are working to ensure everything runs smoothly,” Gooi said.
He also addressed concerns around the ongoing Middle East conflict and its impact on flight availability, saying the reduction in flights would “not really” affect player participation.
The tournament is designed to be inclusive, with categories spanning players aged 19 to 60 and above—a structure that reflects how broadly the sport has grown and who it is now reaching. VitaHealth, serving as the event’s official nutrition partner, also has a stake in that message.
“When people move more, connect more and take care of their health, communities become stronger,” said VitaHealth CEO Dr KS Beh.
The WPC Malaysia Series comes at a time when pickleball’s footprint in Southeast Asia is expanding rapidly. A multi-city national series anchored by an international field of nearly 800 players is exactly the kind of event that accelerates that growth—and Penang, with its seaside venue and regional connectivity, is a fitting place to start.
The championship tips off in ten days, with two other legs scheduled in July and October.
