The MLP Finals Are Set — It's a Fives vs. Shock Showdown

The final showdown is set. The top two teams throughout the regular season are playing each other in Central Park at City Pickle at Wollman Rink. The (2) St. Louis Shock are facing the (1) New Jersey Fives for the 2026 Major League Pickleball title.

How they got here

Both teams earned a first round bye in the playoffs, so they played in Orlando in the regular season finale and had a week break before playing in the quarterfinals in Newport Beach.

New Jersey Fives road to the finals:

• Quarterfinals: Chose to play the Palm Beach Royals and won 2-0 (6-3 in games)
• Semifinals: Chose to play the Brooklyn Pickleball Team and won 2-0 (6-0 in games)

St. Louis Shock road to the finals:

• Quarterfinals: Chose to play the Texas Ranchers and won 2-0 (6-0 in games)
• Semifinals: Forced to play the Dallas Flash and won 2-0 (6-2 in games)

Finals Format

Unlike the regular season, if a match is won 3-0, a fourth game will not be played.

Each playoff matchup is best two out of three matches. Because the Fives are the better seed, they are considered the home team in the first two matches. If a third match happens, there is a coin toss to determine the home team.

Home court matters because as the home team, you get to react to the other team's lineups, including their Dreambreaker lineup.

Schedule of the MLP Finals

*All times listed are in local Eastern Daylight Time

Match #1: Saturday, 8/29 - 12:30pm ET - pickleballtv

Match #2: Sunday, 8/30 - Noon ET - CBS EXCLUSIVE (from noon - 1pm)

• From 1pm through the end of the match will be played on pickleballtv

(If necessary) Match #3: Saturday, 8/29 - 2pm ET - pickleballtv

• From 2pm through 4pm all play will also be on the Tennis Channel

Weather Outlook

There is a slight chance of rain on Sunday, bot nothing overly concerning. The weather is pretty perfect for pickleball.

2026 history of the matchup

The 5s and the Shock have played four times this year and the series is tied 2-2.

• May 25 - Shock Win - 3-2 in a Dreambreaker
• May 31 - Fives Win - 3-0
• July 12 - Shock Win - 3-0
• August 2 - Fives Win - 3-1

A look at the lineups

Note: Partner records listed are during the entire 2026 season, including the Mid-Season Tournament and the playoffs.

#1 New Jersey Fives v #2 St. Louis Shock

• New Jersey: Anna Leigh Waters, Federico Staksrud, Jorja Johnson, Will Howells, Noe Khlif, and Milan Ran
• Brooklyn: Christian Alshon, Rachel Rohrabacher, Jackie Kawamoto, Riley Newman, Chris Haworth, and Hannah Blatt

Game By Game Preview:

Women's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Jorja/Anna Leigh (35-1) v Kate/Anna (32-4)
• 2026 record - 3-1 in favor of the Fives
• What to watch -  Jorja and Anna Leigh were almost invincible the entire regular season. The only loss they sustained was against the Shock women while the Shock implemented an ISO of Jorja, meaning Anna Leigh didn't see a ball in the Mid-Season Tournament. Can Kate and Anna execute this strategy as well as they did over a month ago?
• Edge: Fives

Men's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Federico/Will (6-3) v Gabe/Hayden (30-6)
• 2026 record - 1-0 in favor of the Shock - the Shock men beat Will and Fed 11-5 in Orlando - the other three matchups involved Noe
• What to watch - Fed and Will are underdogs against Hayden and Gabe. Which Gabe shows up today? He was off to a slow start on Friday. If he gives the Fives men some optimism by giving them some freebies early, this could become a grindy dink fest.
• Edge: Shock

Mixed Doubles #1

• Anticipated lineups - Anna Leigh/Noe Khlif (30-5) v Anna/Hayden (27-7)
• 2026 record - 3-1 in favor of Anna Leigh & Noe
  • May 25 - Fives - 11-6
  • May 31 - Fives - 11-9
  • July 12 - Shock - 11-8
  • August 2 - Fives - 15-13 (one of the best mixed games in history)
• What to watch - Is Anna Leigh going to trust Noe to make shots? Bright and Patriquin are going to play 70%-80% of their shots to Noe, daring him to beat them. It is unusual for the guy to see the majority of the shots, but when you play with the #1 women’s player in the world, this is what happens. Can Noe handle the pressure?
• Edge: Toss up

Mixed Doubles #2

• Anticipated lineups - Jorja/Fed (8-1) v Kate/Gabe (23-4)
• 2026 record - 1-0 in favor of the Fives - Fed and Jorja beat Gabe and Kate 11-2 in Orlando
• What to watch - These two "second teams" are ridiculously good (no surprise, as we are in the finals). Kate seems to be playing great in New York, and she will need to make a ton of balls in this one. The X Factor is the guys - which one can take over the game and impose their will more?
• Edge: Toss up

Dreambreaker Lineups

• Anticipated lineups
  • Hunter Johnson vs. Federico Staksrud
  • Hayden Patriquin vs. Will Howells
  • Kate Fahey vs. Anna Leigh Waters
  • Anna Bright vs. Jorja Johnson
• What to watch - Anna Bright and Jorja Johnson may end up being the difference maker if a Dreambreaker takes place in this series 
• Edge: Fives

Tice's Prediction

My final prediction of this series and the Major League Pickleball season is the St. Louis Shock win 2-1.