Pickleball World Championships Draws Record 60,000 Fans, Sets New Bar for Pro Pickleball

The PPA Tour's 2025 Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships breaks attendance, participation, and viewership records for pro pickleball

The 2025 Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships didn’t just return to Brookhaven Country Club, it blew the doors off every expectation.

More than 60,000 fans poured into Farmers Branch, Texas, generating more than $1.1 million in ticket and hospitality revenue, all to witness 18-year-old Anna Leigh Waters cement herself as the sport’s undisputed GOAT.

With a dominant triple-crown performance, Waters collected her 168th career title, becoming the winningest player in Carvana PPA Tour history, surpassing friend and longtime mixed-doubles partner Ben Johns.

The amateur ranks were just as staggering. Nearly all 50 states and 38 countries were represented among a record 4,400 competitors, who battled through more than 6,000 matches in what has become the world’s largest pickleball festival.

Viewership and Media Footprint

Viewership soared, too.

• Pickleballtv logged a record 70 million minutes watched
• Social platforms racked up 54 million impressions
• Earned media reached a staggering 1.2 billion potential viewers — up 50% from last year

“This was the 100th PPA event and it was a remarkable showcase of how much we've grown," said PPA Tour Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe, who watched crowds pack Pickleball Boulevard and Nature’s Sunshine Championship Court all week.

The two-week spectacle opened with the Edward Jones MLP Cup, where the St. Louis Shock, led by Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin, edged the hometown Dallas Flash in a heavyweight showdown. The debut Adidas Collegiate World Championships crowned Utah Tech as the inaugural global collegiate champions.

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From juniors to wheelchair athletes, military veterans to first responders, every corner of the sport had its moment.

Wednesday’s Celebrity Pickleball Showdown added star power with Dirk Nowitzki, J.D. Martinez, Terrell Owens, and Tfue battling alongside Waters, Ben Johns, and Anna Bright.

The final weekend capped things off with the PPA Challenger Showdown, where rising prospects fought for coveted Carvana PPA Tour contracts.

Results, Breakdown and Analysis

The PPA Tour's World Championship in Dallas delivered exactly what pickleball fans crave: drama, controversy, incredible athleticism, and yes, actual tears of joy.

With 3,000 ranking points on the line, this wasn't just another tournament.

This was the sport's first true grand slam moment, complete with nightly concerts, celebrity exhibitions, and packed stands that made you feel like you were watching something genuinely significant.

The World Number One Showdown

Federico Staksrud and Hunter Johnson were locked in a points race for the world number one ranking heading into Dallas, and whoever advanced further in the draw would claim the crown. That tension rippled through the entire tournament.

Staksrud, who'd been struggling in singles throughout 2025 after dominating in 2024, made a statement by playing exclusively on the right side in men's doubles for the first time. The move paid off spectacularly. He and partner Hayden Patriquin upset Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio in the semifinals, snapping their six-tournament winning streak and handing them their first loss in months.

Later, Staksrud defeated Connor Garnett in singles to reclaim the world number one ranking from Johnson.

But here's what made it special: after the doubles victory, Staksrud got emotional.

"It's been a tough year in doubles," he said, his voice cracking. "I work so hard for this and I'm just so happy that we get to do this with Hayden. So much respect for Ben and Gabe. They're great players and I just love this game and I love this sport."

That's the kind of authenticity that makes you remember why you care about sports in the first place.

Anna Leigh's Quest for History

Meanwhile, Anna Leigh Waters was on the cusp of something historic. She had a chance to surpass Ben Johns' record of 167 gold medals if she could triple crown (win singles, doubles, and mixed). The narrative was compelling, the stakes were real, and the pressure was immense.

Waters delivered. She extended her singles win streak to 19 tournaments and 89 consecutive matches, surpassing Johns' gold medal count in the process. In the women's singles final against Kate Fahey, she won relatively easily in game one, but game two was an absolute battle. The championship point? Probably the best one you'll see all year. Waters' dominance at this level is almost unfair, but that's what makes her so captivating to watch.

What This Tournament Meant

The PPA World Championship felt different from other tournaments. The production value was higher. The crowds were bigger. The stakes felt more real. From nightly concerts to celebrity pro-ams to "Pickleball Boulevard," Dallas created an atmosphere that set a new bar for professional pickleball tournaments.

“We came back to Brookhaven this year in anticipation of putting on the largest, greatest event the pickleball world has ever known," said Pardoe. "And we did just that.”