USA Pickleball (USAP)
The pickleball federation in the United States
USA Pickleball is the official National Governing Body (NGB) for pickleball in the United States and its territories, structured as a nonprofit 501(c)(3). It traces its founding to 1984 as the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA), was reincorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 2005, and rebranded to its current name, USA Pickleball, in 2020. It sanctions tournaments (including the USA Pickleball National Championships and Golden Ticket events), certifies equipment and facilities, trains and certifies referees, runs a Tiered Point System for player rankings, maintains the official rulebook, and operates a charitable arm, USA Pickleball Serves, for court-access and youth grants. It reported over 100,000 members in 2025. Internationally it is a member and supporter of the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) and a founding member of the Pickleball Federation of the Americas (PFA), GPF's continental affiliate for the Americas; it is not part of the rival World Pickleball Federation (WPF/IPF) structure.
Getting a licence
A licence is needed to play official pickleball competitions in the United States.
Membership is bought online at three tiers: free Casual membership (no tournament eligibility), Challenger ($12/yr) and Champion ($60/yr), both of which grant eligibility to play in USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments including Nationals.
Competitions and rankings
From the federation’s own website and its international federation, checked in September 2026.
The other racket-sport federations in the United States
The pickleball federation in other countries
United Kingdom · PBE
Spain · RFET
France · FFT
Italy · FITP
Germany · DPV
Netherlands · KNLTB
Belgium · TPPWB
Portugal · PTPICKLE
Sweden · SvPF
Denmark · DTF
Ireland · PI
Saudi Arabia · SFA
Qatar
Kuwait
Egypt
Canada · PC
Mexico · FEMEXPB
Argentina · AAP
Australia · PA
India · IPA
Philippines · PPF
Malaysia · MPA
Singapore · SPA