This week’s MLP Chicago event is notable in that it’s the penultimate event of the regular season, but it’s important for another reason: it’s the 2026 debut of the MLP Champions Series, a league showcasing the world’s best players over 40 years old.  

Since being founded in 2022 by co-founders Beth Bellamy, Michael Chen, and Rick Witsken as the National Pickleball League, the organization has experienced impressive growth; what began with six teams for athletes aged 50+ has turned into a league with 16 teams and three divisions: 40+ Prime, 50+ Champions, and 60+ Masters.  

And in a testament to that growth, the league announced a partnership with Major League Pickleball in March for its events to run concurrently with MLP events throughout the season.

Three of the 2026 MLP Champions Series events—including the season championships in Dallas in late October—will run at Major League Pickleball stops.  

That will start this week in Chicago, where 74 TeamBattles will be played across four days in the Windy City.  

Some of the league’s biggest stars are parents of mainstays of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball: Julie Johnson (mother of Jorja and JW Johnson) of the Palm Beach Royals, Beth Bellamy (mother of Roscoe Bellamy) of the Los Angeles Xtreme, and Jaime Oncins (father of Eric Oncins) of the Suncoast Pelicans.  

And ahead of its first event of 2026, the league announced a broadcast deal with Pickleballtv.

As part of the agreement, Pickleballtv will televise one featured TeamBattle from each session of every 2026 MLP Champions Series tournament, resulting in 20 total broadcasts leading into Championship Weekend in late October. PickleballTV will also air the 40s, 50s, and 60s division championship matches, giving fans the opportunity to follow the biggest moments of the season all the way through the title matchups.  

Regularly scheduled broadcasts will air every Monday from August to November, with additional match windows on select Tuesday nights.  

“We’re thrilled to partner with PickleballTV to bring MLP Champions Series to a wider audience and give fans a front-row seat to some of the best competitions in professional pickleball,” said Rod Davis, CEO of MLP Champions Series. “Our players in the 40s, 50s, and 60s divisions are incredible athletes with great stories, and this partnership allows us to showcase both the intensity of the matches and the personalities behind them. It’s an exciting step for our league and an important part of continuing to grow the Champions Series brand.”  

The first event of the MLP Champions Series season begins Thursday, July 23 and will run through July 26 at both Life Time North Shore and The Picklr Mount Prospect.  

Buy tickets here, and find more information on the MLP Champions Series here.