Major League Pickleball: Premier Level vs. Challenger Level, What's the Difference?

What's the difference between the two levels?

David Tucker\News-Journal / USA TODAY

The 2024 Major League Pickleball season will feature two different levels of play — the premier level and the challenger level.

The premier level is the highest level of play in the sport. The teams for this level were determined through by the Dutch Auction, which allowed the 12 highest-bidding teams to place in this level. This level features the best pro pickleball players in the sport, with 48 players making up the level and four pros on each team.

The challenger level holds the ten teams who were unable to bid into the premier level. These teams still feature 40 high-level players. These challenger teams also have a chance to get bumped up to the premier level as the top-four teams at the end of the season will be promoted to the premier level.

The other major difference between these two levels is how the draft works. The premier level uses a bidding system for each squad to draft their four-player roster, featuring two men and two women. The challenger level uses a more traditional snake format draft, with the order of the draft reversing order every other round.

The two levels will cross paths once during the season at the MLP Midseason Tournament, where all 22 teams compete in a double-elimination bracket to determine the midseason champion. The double-elimination bracket means each team has to play at least two matches. Premier teams will be seeded 1-12, while Challenger teams will be seeded 13-22.

2024 Premier Level Teams:

• New Jersey 5s

• LA Mad Drops

• Dallas Flash Pickleball

• NY Hustlers

• St. Louis Shock

• AZ Drive

• D.C. Pickleball Team

• Columbus Sliders

• Orlando Squeeze

• Seattle Pioneers

• Utah Black Diamonds

• Texas Ranchers

2024 Challenger Level Teams:

Miami Pickleball Club

• Atlanta Bouncers

• Brooklyn Aces

• Bay Area Breakers

• Frisco Pandas

• Florida Smash

• SoCal Hard Eights

• Las Vegas Night Owls

• Chicago Slice

• California Black Bears