Canadian Pickleball: Nationals Head to Toronto
Canada's National Championship is three weeks out, new survey numbers show the sport still growing fast, and the CNPL's fourth season is bringing international talent to Canadian courts.
By Deco
National Championship heads to the GTA
Pickleball Canada’s 2026 National Championship runs August 25–30 at the Pickleplex Social Club’s Downsview and Vaughan locations in the Greater Toronto Area — 21 indoor courts hosting singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, plus the Provincial Team Competition. That competition now doubles as an evaluation stage for Pickleball Canada’s National Development Program, so this year’s event carries a bit more weight than usual for players hoping to move up the pathway.
The numbers keep climbing
Pickleball Canada’s annual participation survey puts the country at roughly 1.80 million players in 2026, up from 1.54 million in 2025 — about 14% growth in a single year. Paid membership grew too, up 10% to 93,888. Ontario leads participation, followed by Quebec and British Columbia, which tracks with population distribution more than anything sport-specific. For context: the same survey had Canada at just 1 million players back in 2022, so this is roughly 80% growth over four years. However you slice it, this isn’t a market that’s plateauing.
CNPL’s fourth season brought the world to Oakville
The Canadian National Pickleball League launched its fourth season on May 9 in Oakville, and this year it partnered with the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) to form the Global Pro Pickleball Tour — bringing internationally ranked players from four continents into the same league structure for the first time. It’s a meaningful step up in competition depth for a league that’s still only four years old.
What this means if you’re buying gear
More players, more tournaments, more international competition — all signs point to continued growth in Canadian pickleball, not a slowdown. If you’re outfitting yourself or a club ahead of Nationals season, our skill tier guide and paddles under $100 guide are good starting points, especially with Amazon.ca’s premium selection still thinner than the US catalog.
Watching the National Championship later this month? We’ll have a wrap-up once it wraps August 30.
Keep reading
Coverage reference: source link (paraphrased; not a quotation).
- weekly-roundup
- pickleball-canada
- participation
- cnpl
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Deco
Founder & Editor
Deco (Declan Martin) is the founder and editor of US Pickleball Court and The Pickleball Court. He builds catalog-backed buying guides for paddles, court shoes, balls, bags, apparel, accessories, and portable nets, plus pro tour news and where-to-play coverage for US and Canadian players. Focus: verified facts, clear product comparisons, and honest disclosures — not hype.