With the start of the 2026 Major League Pickleball season, I thought I would do a deep dive on the key differences between these two leagues: Major League Pickleball (MLP) and Minor League Pickleball (MiLP).

While both are team events, the biggest key difference is the competitive level and purpose:

• MLP: Professional, franchise-based league with drafted pro players
• MiLP: Amateur/recreational team format using DUPR ratings and open entry

Let’s look at the various aspects of each league.

Team Format – Both have male and female players on the team but the number of players vary.

• MLP: 6 players per team and substitutions are allowed
• MiLP: generally a fixed lineup of 4 players (2 men + 2 women)

Match Format – Both use matches consisting of a women’s doubles game, men’s doubles game, two mixed doubles games, and an optional singles dreambreaker if tied but they use different scoring systems.

• MLP: uses side-out scoring to 11, win by 2 in doubles games; uses rally scoring to 21 for the singles dreambreaker
• MiLP: uses rally scoring to 21, win by 2 for all the games played in each match

The dreambreaker game is what these two leagues have in common. Both follow a 4-player rotation, with the players rotating every 4 rallies. However, it is possible to have a singles specialist who didn’t play in the doubles games step in for the dreambreaker in MLP. In MiLP, no new players outside of the 4 team members are introduced in the dreambreaker.

Here’s a summary of the key differences:

MiLP is essentially a streamlined, amateur-friendly version of the MLP team format, with simpler scoring and tournament structure—while MLP is more flexible, strategic, and broadcast-oriented at the pro level. You can find official Major League Pickleball rules here and official Minor League Pickleball rules here.

While I love playing in MiLP tournaments, I love watching my favorite pros compete in MLP events and I am beyond excited for the new 2026 to begin.