In January 2025, the Australian Open made history when it hosted the first-ever pickleball tournament featured at a Grand Slam event - the AO Pickleball Slam (AOPS). And now it is back in 2026, establishing itself in the fabric of the AO and professional pickleball calendar.
The 2026 AOPS will run from 30 January to 1 February at the iconic Melbourne Park on ANZ Arena, where pickleball superstars from across Asia, Australia and North America will face off in a team format for their share of a $100,000 prize pool.
Here is everything you need to know to follow THE pickleball event of summer '26.
The AOPS teams
The AOPS is an exclusive invitational event with 12 male and 12 female players selected to participate. Invitations were based on a combination of current ratings, national or international rankings, and recent competitive results across recognised pickleball tours, leagues or championships.
Players will be assigned to one of six teams of four (two male, two female), in a process that is overseen by the AO Pickleball Slam officiating Team.
In a clever nod to the host city's culture, character, and creativity, teams competing in the AO Pickleball Slam are uniquely named after Melbourne's iconic laneways.
- Degraves
- Duckboard
- Guildford
- Flinders
- Hardware
- Hosier ('25 defending champions).
If you're visiting Melbourne for the event, make the most of your time by checking out some (or all) of the diverse laneways!
Mark your calendars - final teams will be released on Thursday 15 January at 12pm AEDT.
The AOPS format
The AOPS format is one-of-a-kind, and works as follows.
Play kicks off with a team round-robin draw where all teams face off against each other once. At the end of the round-robin stage, the two highest finishing teams will compete in a final playoff on day three.
Each rubber consists of eight matches:
- Two men's singles
- Two women's singles
- One men's doubles
- One women's doubles
- Two mixed doubles.
If scores are tied 4-4 at the end of a matchup, a tiebreak will be decided via an "AOPS Showdown" - a timed round of singles with matchups rotating every five points.
Unique to the AOPS format is that each match is time-based and follows a rally-scoring system (where points are awarded to the winner of each rally, regardless of serve).
Scores are recorded at the end of the allotted time for that game. The winner when time lapses is the player or team that has scored the most points.
Time allocations are as follows, with a 60-second change of ends break at the halfway point of each game:
- Singles: 10 minutes each
- Doubles: 20 minutes each
- Mixed doubles: 20 minutes each
- AOPS Showdown: 10 minutes.
Prize money breakdown
Teams will be competing for their share of $100,000.
- 1st place: $40,000/team
- 2nd place: $24,000/team
- 3rd place: $16,000/team
- 4th place: $12,000/team
- 5th place: $8,000/team
- 6th place: $4,000/team.
In addition to the record prize pack, Tennis Australia and the AOPS offer an experience for players unlike any other - an opportunity to play on Showcourt Court 3 (ANZ arena), right beside Rod Laver Arena, on finals weekend of AO 2026. Players receive on-site hospitality, and exclusive gym and locker-room access.
For Ground Pass holders, entry is free entry to ANZ Arena, with live-streaming opportunities available for those who want to watch the action from afar.
The stage is set for another global showdown. If the 2025 AOPS is anything to go by, this is truly set to be THE event of summer '26.
This event will bring together some of the best pickleball talent from Australia and abroad to showcase their unique play styles in a battle for the AO Pickleball Slam title. Join the action LIVE and for free with an Australian Open Grounds Pass, or catch it all virtually.