The short answer: The Liga Supremo de Pickleball’s 2025 opening stage in Minas Gerais became the first event outside North America to use video assistant refereeing, in a testing capacity, and drew around 300 athletes. The league plans over R$2 million in prize money this season. In Bahia, Brumado hosted the first stage of the Campeonato Baiano from 4 to 6 April.
by joe james
What’s the score?
This month, two exciting developments in Brazil are set to develop pickleball prospects in the country.
Brumado, situated in southwestern Bahia, prepared its pickleball team for the first stage of the Campeonato Baino de Pickleball.
The event, which was held from April 4 until April 6, saw teams participate in singles, mixed doubles, and men’s doubles.
Brumado will also host the second stage of the tournament, from May 16 to May 18.
Elsewhere in Brazil, significant investments are being made in the sport to fuel growth, as it looks to draw from the sport’s boom in the United States and beyond.
The Liga Supremo de Pickleball’s opening stage in 2025, held in Minas Gerais, became the first event outside of North America to utilise video assistant refereeing (VAR).
While only in a testing capacity, the league has further planned to integrate the technology into the game while offering over R$2m in prize money throughout the current season.
The Liga Supremo’s inaugural stage attracted around 300 athletes from Brazil and South America as the game’s profile continues to expand.
Hit it Deeper!
Brazil has become another key destination for the sport of pickleball, in tandem with many countries across the globe who have caught the pickle bug.
The pickleball market in the country has caught fire and shows no signs of slowing down in the long term. Right now, Brazil’s pickleball industry is valued at around USD 30.5 million, but forecasts suggest that in the year 2029, this figure will surpass USD 160 million.
The growth will rise at a compound annual rate of 11.5%, and will create new jobs in various sectors, including manufacturing, coaching and event organisation.
Brazil’s backbone has been the Associação Brasileira de Pickleball (ABPB), headquartered in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais. They have played a pivotal role in shaping the sport’s infrastructure through the offering of clinics, certifying coaches and tournaments, whilst getting Brazil involved with the international circuit.
Last September, São Paulo hosted two major events, the Copa Latam and the Latam Open Pickleball, which saw 368 matches played between players across Latin America.
In 2025, Brazil introduced the Liga Supremo, a professional league that is reshaping the pickleball landscape. Becoming the first tournament outside of America to feature VAR, the first-ever league stage in Minas Gerais drew nearly 300 athletes from Brazil and beyond.
On the facility front, São Paulo has led the way as one of the most desirable destinations, with key venues like the Pickleball Point Arena, the Santos Pickleball Clube, and the SESI Vila Leopoldina, between them boasting indoor and outdoor courts.
Simone Jardim, born in Santa Maria, Rio Grando do Sul, is Brazil’s pickleball icon. She led the world’s No.1 women’s ranking across four years, from 2016 to 2020, alongside multiple US Open titles.
The World Pickleball verdict
Brazil is seemingly going all in with pickleball. From multi-million prize pools, and cutting-edge tournaments, to the introduction of VAR (hopefully controversy-free!) the country is progressing the game at some pace.
Numbers do not lie, and they certainly cannot be ignored. With a projected market jump from USD 30.5 million to over 160 million by 2029 and the excitement of the Liga Supremo, the bar is being raised, and serious prizes are up for grabs. Passion for the game is spread across regions with the likes of São Paulo giving accessibility to multiple facilities for all players.
On the inspiration front, the legacy of Simone Jardim helps to generate aspirations and career prospects in the country, and Brazil will be hoping for the next pickleball icon to be dominating a court somewhere as we speak.
As with everywhere on this jet-propelled pickleball path, there will be bumps in the road, and maintaining expectations, whilst growing at an accessible and attainable rate will be key to the upward trajectory of the game in Brazil.
Major cities like Rio and São Paulo have an appropriate infrastructure in place, but long-term planning must involve the expansion of the game in less concentrated areas. As mentioned, the next Jardim could be waiting in the wings somewhere, but the opportunities to play will make or break those dreams.
Brazil is in a good spot as it stands in the world of pickleball. There is a healthy cocktail of local passion and global ambition, and should that stay harmonious, the country stands to be an innovator of the sport, and not just a participator.
