Honouring the birthplace of pickleball.
IPF property.
The Bainbridge Cup is one of the most historic and prestigious international team competitions in pickleball. Named after Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA—the birthplace of pickleball—it celebrates the vision of the sport’s three founders, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, who invented the game during the summer of 1965 as a fun activity that could be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Established in 2017 by the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP), the Bainbridge Cup became the world’s first intercontinental pickleball team championship. Rather than focusing on individual achievement, the event was created to promote international friendship, sportsmanship, and unity through team competition between continents.
Historical Timeline
2017 – Madrid, Spain
- The inaugural Bainbridge Cup was held in Madrid.
- Featured Europe vs North America, marking pickleball’s first official intercontinental team competition.
- Established the foundation for future global team events.
2018 – Rome, Italy
- Expanded international participation.
- Continued the Europe versus North America format while attracting growing worldwide interest.
2019 – Germany
- The third edition reinforced the Bainbridge Cup as the flagship international team competition under the IFP.
- More nations participated through continental representation.
2020 – Nottingham, England
- The Bainbridge Cup was scheduled to take place in Nottingham alongside the English Open.
- The event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a temporary suspension of the competition.
2021 – Holly Hill, Florida, USA
- The fourth edition of the Bainbridge Cup was held at Pictona in Holly Hill, Florida, from 7–11 April 2021.
- It marked the first Bainbridge Cup held in the United States, expanding the competition’s international reach beyond Europe.
- The event was conducted under the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP).
2022 – Mumbai, India
- The Bainbridge Cup returned to international competition.
- The event demonstrated the continued growth of pickleball across Asia and reaffirmed the tournament’s international significance.
A New Chapter Under WPF
In 2024, the International Pickleball Federation (IPF) and the World Pickleball Federation (WPF) announced a historic unification to establish a single global governing body for pickleball. The merger was formally approved by the member federations of both organisations in 2025, bringing together their governance structures, member nations, technical expertise, and international competitions under one federation.
As part of this historic unification, the Bainbridge Cup becomes one of the Federation’s most treasured legacy events. WPF recognises the Bainbridge Cup as a heritage property of the unified federation, preserving its history while positioning it for future growth within the global competition calendar.
The Future of the Bainbridge Cup
As pickleball continues its rapid global expansion, the Bainbridge Cup will enter a new era as WPF’s premier annual continental team championship.
Under the proposed WPF World Ranking System:
- World Pickleball Games will become the Federation’s highest-level international multi-sport championship, awarding 5,000 World Ranking Points.
- Bainbridge Cup will be recognised as a Level 4 Continental Championship, awarding 3,000 World Ranking Points to eligible competitors.
The event will continue to celebrate international friendship, continental pride, and the heritage of the sport while providing a pathway for elite athletes to earn significant world ranking points.
The Bainbridge Cup will continue to embody the founders’ original vision—that pickleball is a sport that brings people together regardless of age, nationality, or background—and will remain a cornerstone of WPF’s commitment to unity, excellence, and the continued global development of the sport.