Pickleball Tournaments in Florida

Quick Answer: Florida’s tournament calendar is anchored by the US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples each April, plus two APP Tour stops in Fort Lauderdale. The season peaks from January through May, thins in summer heat, and pushes indoors when it does not. Amateur entry fees across the state commonly land between $40 and $95.

Florida’s tournament calendar is shaped by two facts: the weather is playable outdoors from October through May, and the state holds two purpose-built venues of unusual size, the 65-court USOP National Pickleball Center in Naples and the 43-court Fort in Fort Lauderdale. That combination front-loads the winter and spring, then goes quiet or moves inside once the humidity arrives.

What Are Florida’s Anchor Tournaments?

Four events set the shape of the year.

The US Open Pickleball Championships, Naples. The 2026 edition ran April 11 to 18 at East Naples Community Park, now branded the USOP National Pickleball Center, marking the tournament’s tenth anniversary. The 2027 dates are already posted as April 17 to 24. Founded in 2016 by Terri Graham and Chris Evon through Spirit Promotions, the event drew close to 800 participants and 2,000 spectators in its first year and reported over 3,250 competitors and over 50,000 spectators by 2024. The center lists 65 courts. Everything from the lottery registration process to what the site is like as a spectator is covered in the guide to the US Open Pickleball Championships, and the case for Naples as the sport’s center of gravity is made in the piece on Naples as the pickleball capital of the world.

The APP Daytona Beach Open, Holly Hill. Held February 18 to 22, 2026 at Pictona at Holly Hill, this is a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket event open to both amateurs and professionals with DUPR ratings. Registration opened October 30, 2025 and closed February 9, 2026, which is the kind of lead time Florida events routinely require.

The APP Fort Lauderdale Open, Fort Lauderdale. Held March 25 to 29, 2026 at The Fort, the APP’s own headquarters and training facility inside the 93-acre Snyder Park. The Fort lists 43 courts, 14 of them weatherproof, plus a dedicated pickleball stadium. The APP Tour Championships return to the same site December 3 to 6, 2026, giving Fort Lauderdale two APP stops on the 2026 calendar.

The US Collegiate Championships, Cape Coral. Scheduled March 6 to 8, 2026 with $85,000 in total prize money, the culmination of the APP Collegiate Series regional qualifiers.

When Is Florida’s Tournament Season?

Winter and spring, decisively.

The anchor events above cluster between February and May. The 2026 Powerball Florida Amateur State Championships ran May 15 to 17 at Englewood Sports Complex. The Sunshine State Games hold their pickleball competition June 12 to 14 at PicklePlex of Punta Gorda. After that the outdoor calendar thins.

Summer does not disappear so much as relocate. Major League Pickleball’s 2026 Orlando stop ran July 30 to August 2 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, with matches played indoors at the State Farm Field House. That is the summer pattern in miniature: the event still happens, the roof goes on.

The fall restarts the outdoor calendar. Listed 2026 events include the APP Tour Championships at The Fort in December and a Sarasota-area PPA Challenger in Englewood in October, though secondary schedule aggregators disagree on some fall dates and PPA schedules are subject to change, so confirm with the organizer before booking travel. The planning rule for a visiting player: if the event is outdoors and falls between June and September, expect heat delays, early start times, or both.

What Do the Florida Metros Offer?

Four metros run noticeably different calendars.

Miami. The Florida Pro-Am Circuit, run by All Florida Pickleball, held its Stop 3 at Miami Fairgrounds January 30 to February 1, 2026. Amateur divisions in that series carry ranking points and guaranteed matches across singles, doubles, and mixed, and entry requires a USA Pickleball Challenger or Champion membership. Miami’s calendar leans on circuit stops and club events rather than a resident tour stop, and current listings are in the Miami pickleball tournament calendar.

Fort Lauderdale. Two APP stops appear on the 2026 calendar here, because The Fort is the APP’s home facility. Two tour stops plus year-round club events on 43 courts. Local listings sit in the Fort Lauderdale pickleball tournament calendar.

Orlando. Orlando’s headline event is MLP’s stop at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a spectator event rather than an amateur entry, since MLP rosters are professional. Amateur play runs through venues and club series, including the Lake Nona Fall Classic listed for November 6 to 8, 2026. Listings are in the Orlando pickleball tournament calendar.

Tampa. Tampa’s competitive calendar runs through clubs and private facilities rather than a resident tour stop. Life Time Harbour Island, which opened with 12 pickleball courts, hosts recurring seasonal classics and moneyball events. That is a thinner tour presence than Naples or Fort Lauderdale, though club-level volume is real. Listings are in the Tampa pickleball tournament calendar.

What Do Florida Entry Fees Run?

Three tiers, and the gap between them is wide.

Local and circuit events, roughly $40 to $95 as of August 2026. The 2026 Powerball Florida Amateur State Championships posted $70 early bird, $85 regular, and $95 late, including up to two events with $30 for each additional event. Skill divisions in that event required DUPR. That structure, a base fee covering two events plus per-event add-ons, is common across Florida amateur tournaments.

Tour amateur brackets, roughly $40 to $60 per event. APP amateur entries at 2026 stops list around $40 per event, against $160 for the pro division at the same tournament.

The US Open, in a category of its own. A $150 registration credential is required before any event fee, with amateur events at $45 for doubles and $50 for singles. Registration and weather insurance is $25. Junior entrants pay $35 for the credential and $25 per event.

On top of entry, sanctioned events require an active USA Pickleball membership, listed at $12 a year for Challenger and $60 for Champion as of August 2026.

How Do You Enter a Florida Tournament?

The sequence is the same statewide.

1. Get a DUPR rating. Many Florida skill divisions now require one, including every skill division at the state amateur championships.
2. Buy the membership if the event is sanctioned. Challenger or Champion. Casual does not qualify.
3. Register the moment it opens. The US Open ran a general lottery window of January 14 to 20 for its 2026 event, with winners notified January 28 and payment due February 3. Pictona opened Daytona registration nearly four months before the event.
4. Pick a division you can back up. Skill level plus age band. USA Pickleball sanctioned age divisions run 19+, 30+, 40+, and 50+ and above.
5. Confirm the format. Round robin, double elimination, and pool play all guarantee different numbers of matches for the same fee.

If any of that is unfamiliar, the ratings, brackets, and cost mechanics are laid out from scratch in the guide to competitive pickleball.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the US Open Pickleball Championships held? In Naples each April. The 2026 edition ran April 11 to 18 at the USOP National Pickleball Center, and the 2027 dates are posted as April 17 to 24.

Is there a Florida state championship? The 2026 Powerball Florida Amateur State Championships ran May 15 to 17 at Englewood Sports Complex, presented by Carvana PPA and Southern Pickleball. The Sunshine State Games also hold a pickleball competition, scheduled June 12 to 14 at PicklePlex of Punta Gorda.

Do Florida tournaments require a DUPR rating? Many do for skill-based divisions. The state amateur championships marked every skill division “DUPR Required,” and the APP Daytona Beach Open is open to amateurs and professionals with DUPR ratings.

Are there summer tournaments in Florida? Yes, but the outdoor calendar thins and events move indoors. MLP’s 2026 Orlando stop played indoors at the State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports July 30 to August 2.

Which Florida metro has the deepest tournament calendar? Fort Lauderdale hosts two APP stops in 2026, the Fort Lauderdale Open in March and the Tour Championships in December, both at The Fort, which is the APP’s headquarters facility.

How much does a Florida tournament cost to enter? Local and circuit events commonly run $40 to $95 including one or two events. The US Open requires a $150 registration credential plus $45 per doubles event or $50 per singles event.

Can amateurs play at the professional events in Florida? At APP tour stops, yes, since APP events run amateur divisions alongside the pro fields. MLP is a team league with professional rosters, so its Orlando stop is a spectator event.

Do I need to be a Florida resident to enter? No. Florida tournaments draw nationally, and the US Open reported more than 3,250 competitors and 50,000 spectators by 2024, with players from all 50 states.

What is Pictona? Pictona at Holly Hill, at 1060 Ridgewood Avenue near Daytona Beach, is the venue for the APP Daytona Beach Open and a year-round facility.

Florida rewards planning, because the events that matter fill months ahead and the good weather window is finite. Start with the tournaments and events directory to see what is open for registration, check the clubs directory for a partner and a practice schedule, and if you are traveling in for Naples or Fort Lauderdale, the travel and lodging directory covers where to stay near the courts.

Written by the Pickler Junction Team.