Queens of the Court - All Women's Team Tournament

THE ORIGINAL ALL-WOMEN'S TEAM TOURNAMENT

Queens of the Court continues September 19, 2026 at Bellevue Pickleball Club in Seattle, WA. This all-women's event features an MLP-style team format with 4-6 player teams, DUPR-based divisions, APBF Power Rankings and Rewards Points, medals through 4th place, and raffle prizes for best team name and best uniforms.

2026 Schedule

Queens of the Court Series

Sep 19

Next Event

Bellevue Pickleball Club

Seattle, WA
Confirmed
Sep 12

Coronado Island Marriott

Coronado, CA

Confirmed Flyer
Oct 10–11

Eagle Glen Pickleball Club

Corona, CA

Registration open Flyer
Oct 17–18

Peak Time Pickleball Club

Charlotte, NC
Confirmed
+

More QOTC events to be scheduled soon

The Championship

Royal Court · February 2027

Date & location to be announced

Tournament Directors

APBF

619-800-8179 qotc@playapbf.com

Register Your Team

Sponsors & Partners

Championship Path

How to qualify for the QOTC Championship

Earn your place at the Royal Court. Multiple paths. One destination.

01

Win a Royal Court qualifier

Win any official QOTC event and your team earns a Royal Court Berth to the QOTC Championship.

02

Earn it through season rankings

Top-performing teams across the season will qualify based on APBF Points and Power Rankings. Consistency matters.

03

Last chance qualifier

One final event before the Championship. Win and secure your spot.

04

Royal Court invitation

A select few teams may receive a Royal Court Invitation based on performance, rankings, and impact.

Only a limited number of teams will be summoned to the Royal Court.

View Upcoming Qualifiers

Points Series

Every finish feeds the Royal Court.

The 2026 QOTC Points Series rewards every official Queens of the Court finish. Teams collect points all season long, building a path toward the Royal Court Championship in February 2027.

Points Per Finish

Finish Points

1st100

2nd80

3rd70

4th60

5th50

6th40

7th30

8th20

9th10

10th & below5

Division size bonus: every team earns +1 point per player registered in that division. A 32-player division adds +32 points to every team's finish points.

Season Leaderboard (2026)

Points as of QOTC #1, Poway, CA

RankTeam NameDivisionPoints

1Mt. View ManiacsDUPR 12122

2Spicy PicklesDUPR 12102

3Pickled PinkDUPR 1292

4What’s the Score?DUPR 1282

RankTeam NameDivisionPoints

14 Way is the New 3someDUPR 14137

2Shell YeahDUPR 14117

3Queen GsDUPR 14107

4Smash and SassDUPR 1497

5Perfect FoursomeDUPR 1487

6Sassy, Spicy, Salty & SaucyDUPR 1477

7Laid Back GirlsDUPR 1467

8Smash SistersDUPR 1457

RankTeam NameDivisionPoints

1We Have School MondayDUPR 16129

2Dill with ItDUPR 16109

3Drop it like it HotDUPR 1699

4Paddle up ButtercupDUPR 1689

5Smash and SassDUPR 1679

6Pickle BrawlersDUPR 1669

RankTeam NameDivisionPoints

1Long Limbed LegendsDUPR Open122

2The LionessesDUPR Open102

3Loc and Loaded 2.0DUPR Open92

4Crown CollectiveDUPR Open82

RankTeam NameDivisionPoints

1—DUPR 12 55+—

2—DUPR 12 55+—

3—DUPR 12 55+—

4—DUPR 12 55+—

5—DUPR 12 55+—

RankTeam NameDivisionPoints

1Poway PowerDUPR 14 55+118

2Hi-Ya VixensDUPR 14 55+98

3Long BeachDUPR 14 55+88

4Pickle ChicksDUPR 14 55+78

RankTeam NameDivisionPoints

1—DUPR 16 55+—

2—DUPR 16 55+—

3—DUPR 16 55+—

4—DUPR 16 55+—

5—DUPR 16 55+—

All Events Count

Points accumulate across every official QOTC event in the 2026 season.

Team-Based Ranking

Points track the registered team roster, not individual players.

Season Leaders Qualify

Top cumulative points finishers earn Royal Court Championship berths.

Win and You Are In

Win any QOTC event and your team receives an automatic berth.

Earn Your Berth

Tournament Details

Tournament Details

A straightforward all-women's team event built around competitive matches, flexible rosters, and a fun tournament atmosphere.

At a Glance

Format

MLP-style team play

Roster

4-6 players per team

Scoring

Non-DUPR reporting

Awards

Medals through 4th place plus team-name and uniform prizes

What to Expect

Divisions

DUPR 12, 14, 16, Open, and age-based divisions when available.

Match Energy

Team strategy, partner switches, sideline momentum, and a possible Dreambreaker.

Rewards

Every official finish earns APBF Rewards Points toward the season leaderboard.

Personality

Bring your team name, uniforms, and style. The event is meant to feel memorable.

Queens of the Court action photo

Queens of the Court medal photo

Queens of the Court team photo

Find Your Division

Which division can your team play?

Enter the DUPR ratings of the four players you would put on court in a match. A division is only open to your team if both the team combined DUPR and every individual player fall within its limits. See the full rules.

Your four players

Player 1

Player 2

Player 3

Player 4

Team aggregate 0.000

This is the combined DUPR of the four players active on court in a match, not the full roster. Each division also caps the highest individual rating allowed.

Placement policy

Teams are placed in the lowest division for which they qualify. Playing up one division is permitted. Playing up more than one division requires Tournament Director approval.

Eligible divisions

Enter all four ratings to see your divisions.

DUPR 10 —

Team ≤ 10.999 · Player ≤ 3.25

DUPR 12 —

Team ≤ 12.999 · Player ≤ 3.75

DUPR 14 —

Team ≤ 14.999 · Player ≤ 4.25

DUPR 16 —

Team ≤ 16.999 · Player ≤ 4.75

DUPR 18 —

Team ≤ 18.999 · Player ≤ 5.25

Open —

No team or player limit

FOR CLUBS, FACILITIES & ORGANIZERS

Run Your Own QOTC

Want to bring Queens of the Court to your market? APBF is building select partnerships with clubs, facilities, and operators who want to host this standout all-women's team event under the QOTC brand.

Learn More Apply to Partner

Partner Opportunity

A branded women's team event concept built to travel well and stand out locally.

For clubs and operators who want stronger identity, better buzz, and a more repeatable women's event than a generic tournament can offer.

Brand

QOTC identity and event positioning

Format

MLP-style energy built for community

Growth

Partnership models tailored to market fit

Tournament FAQs

Queens of the Court is the original all-women's MLP-style pickleball tournament. Our goal is to celebrate the community, strengths, and skill of women in pickleball, starting on International Women's Day!

A match is played between 2 teams and consists of four doubles games - 2 rounds of 2 games. Any player combinations are allowed subject to the DUPR aggregate rules.

Team A vs Team B Example:

Round 1

• Game 1: A1 & A2 vs B1 & B2
• Game 2: A3 & A4 vs B3 & B4

Round 2

• Game 1: A1 & A3 vs B1 & B3
• Game 2: A2 & A4 vs B2 & B4

If tied 2-2, move on to Reignmaker singles tiebreaker.

Reignmaker is our signature tiebreaker. If a match is tied 2-2, teams will play a 3rd Singles Match. Individual team members rotate every 2 points using rally scoring to 11. Win by one, no freeze. It's fast, strategic, and high-stakes - incredibly exciting!

Traditionally, MLP-style format is four players per team. However, in Queens of the Court, you can have up to six players on the roster. Only four players play in each match, and for each match, the DUPR aggregate must be below the required number.

We allow up to 6 players per team for a couple of reasons. First, any player experienced in MLP-style team tournaments will tell you: it's a LOT of pickleball. More players allow rest, and you WILL need it. Trust us. Second, more players means more fun!

The total DUPR of a team's chosen 4 players in any match may not exceed the following:

DUPR 12: Aggregate 12.3

DUPR 14: Aggregate 14.3

DUPR 16: Aggregate 16.3

Open: Max aggregate 22.3

If any player is not rated, they will be assigned a score (not a DUPR rating) for purposes of the tournament only. For example, unrated DUPR 12 players are assigned 3.0.

No. In the spirit of community, not reporting game scores to DUPR allows players to play with any partner without fear of negatively affecting your DUPR rating.

Queens of the Court is the original all-women's team pickleball tournament, bringing players together for a competitive and high-energy team experience.

General Format: Single Round Robin, Single Elimination Playoffs

All Round Robin and Playoffs

Doubles games: Rally Scoring to 15, win by 1.

Dreambreaker: Rally Scoring to 21, win by 1 - DO NOT have to win on your own serve (no freeze).

Medal Matches ONLY

Doubles games: Rally Scoring to 15 win by 2.

Dreambreaker: Rally Scoring to 21, win by 2 - MUST win on your own serve (freeze).

Match Rules:

MATCH FORMAT: 2 doubles rounds and 1 possible Dreambreaker. Each round consists of 2 doubles games. (4 total for the match)
Each team will select 4 players for each round in individual matches. The total DUPR score for the selected 4 players may not exceed the maximum for the entered division.
Substitutions may only happen between rounds or in case of injury. The injured player will then be ineligible to play the rest of the tournament. Substitutions may only come from rostered players on the respective team.
Each match will consist of two rounds of Doubles (2 games each, 4 games total) and a possible 3rd Round of Singles, The Dreambreaker tiebreaker.
Each teams' players MUST switch partners between Round 1 and Round 2.
RALLY SCORING: Partners stay on their assigned sides the entire game. Each partner determines which side of the court (left or right) to start on, and then remains on that respective side throughout the entire game. Players may switch sides after a timeout or when teams change ends of the court. Serving alternates between partners based on the score — not by rotating sides. If the score is even, the player on the right-hand side serves. If the score is odd, the player on the left-hand side serves.
Each team will get ONE timeout per game.

Top 4 teams after Round Robin move on to medal round - a Gold Medal Match and a Bronze Medal Match. Larger brackets may have quarter or semi finals. Medals down to 4th place!

Beginning the Match

At the beginning of each match, Home or Away teams can be determined by flipping a coin or spinning a paddle, but choosing a number, 1 or 2, behind your back and having the opponent guess is generally the easiest. (We will go over it at the pre-game meeting in the morning.)

Winner then chooses to be Home or Away.

Home team chooses the side OR to serve.

Home team presents the line up first in the Dreambreaker.

Away team presents line up first in doubles games only.

If you choose the serve during the coin toss, your team will start every game serving.

Teams will change ends at 8 in doubles and 11 in the Dreambreaker. The end of the court a team finishes a game is the same end they will start the next game.

Keep the games moving. Only 2 minutes allowed between games.

APBF reserves the right to alter or change format.

Teams may have 4 to 6 players.

Each team will select 4 players for each round in individual matches. The total DUPR score for the selected 4 players may not exceed the maximum for the entered division. Substitutions may only happen between rounds or in case of injury. The injured player will then be ineligible to play the rest of the tournament. Substitutions may only come from rostered players on the respective team.

Division eligibility — both limits must be met

Your team’s combined DUPR (the 4 players active on court) and each individual player’s DUPR must fall within the division limits.

Division Team Max player DUPR 1010.9993.25 DUPR 1212.9993.75 DUPR 1414.9994.25 DUPR 1616.9994.75 DUPR 1818.9995.25 OpenNo limitNo limit

Example: a lineup of 4.20, 3.00, 2.50, 2.50 totals 12.20 — under the 12.999 team limit — but cannot compete in the DUPR 12 division, because the 4.20 player exceeds the 3.75 maximum individual rating. That team plays DUPR 14, where the individual limit is 4.25.

No. This event features non-DUPR reporting.

Teams compete for medals through 4th place, plus raffle prizes for best team name and best uniforms.