Philippine pickleball just picked up a proper footwear partner for its biggest stage yet. The Philippine Pickleball Federation has confirmed Skechers Philippines as the official footwear partner for the national team heading into the 2026 Pickleball World Cup, running in Da Nang, Vietnam, from August 30 to September 6.
The deal covers real ground. Skechers will be outfitting 39 Filipino pickleball athletes competing across five categories — Kids, Junior, Open, Senior, and Masters—a spread that touches nearly every corner of the national program rather than just its headline names.
Leading the Open Category is team captain Leander Lazaro, with Nik Isagan, Ruben Gonzales, Johnny Arcilla, Patrick Mendoza, Sarah Jane Lim-Narvasa, Fatima Amirul, Kelsey Laurente, Lauren Mercado, and Medelene Ramos-Saraza rounding out the roster. Head coach Kyle Stoker and team manager Tina Mariano lead the delegation.
For Skechers, the partnership carries weight well beyond a simple product tie-in. “This is more than a sponsorship—it is a declaration of Skechers’ unwavering commitment to Filipino sport and Filipino excellence. As our valued partners, we want you to know that every step we take to grow this brand on the international stage is a step we take together,” the company said in a statement, framing the deal as part of a broader belief in pickleball as one of the Philippines’ fastest-growing sports.
The brand also pointed to the depth of the roster as proof of how far the sport has come domestically. “For our Filipino athletes to compete at this level, across every single category, is a testament to just how far Philippine pickleball has come, and how bright its future truly is.”
That depth will be tested against serious global competition. Roughly 4,000 athletes from 80 countries are expected to compete in Da Nang, giving the newly outfitted Filipino squad a proper measure of where the sport’s domestic growth actually stands against the rest of the world.
