TOPSERIES Pickleball Targets Growth Across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East

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Pickleball’s rapid growth in the United States is beginning to spread internationally.

One organization leading the way is TOPSERIES Pickleball, a new tour focused on building a structured professional circuit across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Leading the initiative is Adel Aref, a longtime sports executive whose career has spanned tennis, football, and padel before entering the pickleball space. We spoke with him about the new pro circuit and the sport’s growth internationally.

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Building a Structured Tour

TOPSERIES is taking a unique approach to international pickleball by building the sport with opportunities at the pro level as well as the amateur level. With a structured tournament ecosystem that can support players at multiple levels, the tour will feature four competitive tiers:

• Ultimate – top-tier professional events
• Elite – high-level international competition
• Evolve – development tournaments
• Challenge – grassroots entry-level events

The lower tiers are designed to help new markets develop local talent and introduce players to the sport. By creating this infrastructure, TOPSERIES provides the groundwork for the next generation of pickleball stars to emerge from new regions.

“We want kids to start playing in grassroots tournaments and then slowly grow into the top competitions,” Aref explained.

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Early Momentum in Emerging Markets

While pickleball remains most established in the United States, Aref says interest across Europe, Africa and the Middle East is growing quickly.

Federations in countries like France and Italy have already begun incorporating pickleball into their existing racket sport structures. TOPSERIES will build off these early initiatives to provide the framework for greater organized participation in EMEA.

Kicking off in 2026, TOPSERIES will launch seven events in its first season, including tournaments in:

• Cairo
• Venice
• Hamburg
• London
• Tunis
• Dubai

Early interest has been strong. Aref said a tournament near Madrid attracted more than 120 player registrations within two days of opening.

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A Different Style of Pickleball Event

Beyond competition, TOPSERIES is emphasizing a lifestyle-driven event experience for fans to enjoy the pickleball fun and community that is widely recognized as the reason for the sport's growth.

Aref says events will combine sport with hospitality, entertainment, and regional culture.

“It’s a lot of lifestyle things like DJs, cuisine, brands and adapting to the local culture in each country,” he said.

The goal is to give each tour stop its own local flavor while maintaining a consistent professional competition structure.

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A Global Vision for Pickleball

For Aref, the long-term vision goes beyond just this initial tour format.

The organization plans to focus first on Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with potential expansion into Asia in the future.

Ultimately, Aref believes the sport’s accessibility will help drive its global appeal.

“The advantage of pickleball is its simplicity,” he said. “Anyone can play. A grandparent can play with their grandchild. And the community around the sport is incredible.”

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What It Means

TOPSERIES Pickleball highlights an important shift happening in the sport.

While the professional ecosystem in the United States remains fragmented across multiple tours and leagues, new organizations are beginning to focus on global growth and regional development.

If TOPSERIES succeeds in building a structured tournament system across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, it could help create new pathways for international players and expand pickleball’s professional footprint well beyond North America.