MLP Nations Cup Brings Asia’s Best to Texas: What You Need to Know—Including How to Watch and When
Starting this weekend, Major League Pickleball (MLP) will debut the MLP Nations Cup scheduled to run from 30 October to 1 November at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, a Dallas suburb in Texas. It will feature eight regional teams and 48 players, and two of those teams are built around Asia.
For fans in Asia, there’s a catch. Texas is a long way from here, so most of the action will spill into the next calendar day.
Reading the Clock from Asia
Texas is on Central Daylight Time (UTC−5) until the US clocks go back in the early hours of 1 November, when it switches to Central Standard Time (UTC−6). For most of Asia, that means:
- Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Beijing: 13 hours ahead until 1 November, then 14 hours ahead.
- Vietnam and Thailand: 12 hours ahead, then 13.
- Japan: 14 hours ahead, then 15.
- India: 10.5 hours ahead, then 11.5.
In plain terms, a match that starts at 11:00 am CDT or later on a US day will be played after midnight, on the next day, in Manila or Hong Kong. A match at 8:00 am CDT, for example, is 9:00 p.m. the same evening there. The organisers haven’t published start times yet, so check Pickleballtv for the exact schedule.
Eight Teams, Two Groups
The eight teams are split into two groups:
- Group A: Asia Domestic, Europe West, Canada, United States
- Group B: Asia International, Australia, Europe East, Latin America
Friday and Saturday are round-robin days. The top two teams from each group advance to Championship Sunday, where it’s single elimination all the way: Group A’s winner meets Group B’s runner-up, Group B’s winner meets Group A’s runner-up, and the two winners then play for the first-ever Nations Cup.
The Asian Teams at the MLP Nations Cup
Team Asia International (captain: Madeleine Lim) is the one that will feel familiar to anyone who watched the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam. Its roster is made up of Rika Fujiwara (Japan), Lingwei Kong (China), Jimmy Liong (Malaysia), Tama Shimabukuro (Japan), Jack Wong Hong-kit (Hong Kong, China), and Macy Ybañez (Philippines).
Team Asia Domestic (co-captains: Geoffrey Nguyen and Jeff Tsao) might not have the name recall of Team Asia International, but it is loaded with some of the continent’s rising star as well. It features Augie Ge (China), Milan Rane (India), Jonathan Truong (Vietnam), Zoey Wang (Chinese Taipei), Jamie Wei (Chinese Taipei), and Len Yang (China).
The Rest of the Field
- Team USA (captain: Johnny Goldberg): Anna Bright, Tyra Black, Kate Fahey, Ben Johns, CJ Klinger, Will Howells
- Team Canada (captain: Steve Deakin): Victoria DiMuzio, Blaine Hovenier, Armaan Jiwa Mawji, Layne Sleeth, Ryan Torresin, Angie Walker
- Team Europe West (captain: Chris Cantino): Judit Castillo, Helena Jansen, Will MacKinnon, Theo Platel, Estee Widdershoven, DJ Young
- Team Australia (captain: Sange Carter): Sarah Burr, Chris Crouch, Sahra Dennehy, Mitch Hargreaves, Danni-Elle Townsend, George Wall
- Team Latin America (captain: Juan Benitez): Nico Acevedo, Mari Humberg, Rafa Lenhard, Eric Oncins, Alexa Schull, Charlie Trevino
- Team Europe East (captain: Caleb Garrard): Andrei Daescu, Arwid Dahlin, Ivan Jakovljevic, Lina Padegimaite, Tina Pisnik, Daria Walczak
Familiar faces abound. Bright, Johns, and Black, who were all in Hong Kong last weekend, line up for Team USA, and Castillo and Dennehy, both of whom reached the Hong Kong semifinals, appear for Europe West and Australia.
Match Schedule, Adjusted for Asia
| US date | Match | Group | Asia Date* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 30 Oct | Australia vs Asia International | B | 30–31 Oct |
| Fri 30 Oct | Europe East vs Latin America | B | 30–31 Oct |
| Fri 30 Oct | Europe West vs Asia Domestic | A | 30–31 Oct |
| Fri 30 Oct | Canada vs USA | A | 30–31 Oct |
| Fri 30 Oct | Australia vs Europe East | B | 30–31 Oct |
| Fri 30 Oct | Asia Domestic vs Canada | A | 30–31 Oct |
| Sat 31 Oct | Latin America vs Asia International | B | 31 Oct–1 Nov |
| Sat 31 Oct | USA vs Europe West | A | 31 Oct–1 Nov |
| Sat 31 Oct | Asia International vs Europe East | B | 31 Oct–1 Nov |
| Sat 31 Oct | Latin America vs Australia | B | 31 Oct–1 Nov |
| Sat 31 Oct | USA vs Asia Domestic | A | 31 Oct–1 Nov |
| Sat 31 Oct | Europe West vs Canada | A | 31 Oct–1 Nov |
| Sun 1 Nov | Semifinal 1: Group A #2 vs Group B #1 | – | 1–2 Nov |
| Sun 1 Nov | Semifinal 2: Group A #1 vs Group B #2 | – | 1–2 Nov |
| Sun 1 Nov | Final: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 | – | 2 Nov |
*Asia date shows the range for Manila, Hong Kong, and Singapore, depending on start time. Any match starting after the cutoff described above falls on the later date. Sunday’s final is very likely a 2 November affair for these cities.
How to Watch the MLP Nations Cup
All matches will stream on Pickleballtv and the Pickleballtv app, with additional broadcast details still to come.
For a sport that has spent the last few years proving itself domestically, the MLP Nations Cup is a statement that pickleball is now a global game. Asian fans may need to stay up a bit late, but there’s plenty to stay up for.
