FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pickleball Americas Announces Partnership with Pickleball Cup at Annual AGM to Launch 2025 Regional Americas Cup

Toronto, Canada – December 16, 2024 – The Pickleball Americas Federation (PFA) is thrilled to announce its official partnership with Pickleball Cup during the organization’s Annual General Meeting on December 16, 2024. This exciting collaboration will bring the Regional Americas Cup to life, with the inaugural event scheduled to take place in Cancun, Mexico, in December 2025.

The Americas Cup will serve as the regional qualifier for the Pickleball Cup World Finals, uniting the top teams from the Americas to showcase the sport’s growing talent and foster international camaraderie. With this announcement, the PFA is calling on all 18 member countries to begin preparations for national team selection, guided by standardized criteria outlined in the PFA’s Team Selection Guidelines.

Team Selection Criteria
To ensure fairness and consistency, the PFA’s guidelines emphasize:

• Transparent Selection Processes: Each country’s federation must provide clear criteria and processes for team selection, ensuring inclusivity and transparency.
• Top Talent Representation: National teams will include a mix of singles, doubles, and mixed doubles players, selected based on performance in domestic tournaments, player rankings, and commitment to national representation.
• Competitive Balance: Countries are encouraged to foster diversity and provide opportunities for emerging talent to join experienced players in the squad.
  For more details, visit the full Team Selection Guidelines.

Gary Schwartz, CEO and Chairman of Pickleball Americas, shared his excitement:
“The Americas Cup is a monumental step forward for pickleball in our region. By partnering with Pickleball Cup, we are creating a pathway for national teams to shine on an international stage while fostering unity and growth across the Americas. We encourage every member country to start preparing their teams, as this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to elevate our sport.”

Terry Kukle, CEO of Pickleball Cup, echoed this sentiment:
“This partnership marks the beginning of something truly special for pickleball. The Americas Cup will not only highlight the incredible talent emerging across the region but also set the stage for the World Finals. We are excited to work closely with the PFA to create a competition that celebrates the sport, the players, and the spirit of international collaboration.”

About the Regional Americas Cup

The Regional Americas Cup is part of the broader Pickleball Cup initiative, designed to combine the excitement of global sporting events like FIFA’s World Cup with the team-based format of the Davis Cup. The tournament will feature national teams from PFA member countries competing in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches.

Next Steps for Member Countries

PFA member federations are encouraged to:

1. Finalize their team selection processes by March 2025.
2. Provide updates to the PFA on team readiness by June 2025.
3. Register their national team for the Cancun event by September 2025.

The Regional Americas Cup promises to be a pivotal milestone in the development of pickleball, uniting nations in competition and camaraderie while setting the foundation for global recognition.

For more information, visit PickleballAmericas.org and PickleballCup.com.