Official ball partner · 2026 season
The official ball of the Ultimate Pickleball League.
Apex 48 is in play for every match, every rally and every championship point of the UPL's 2026 season.
The partnership
Some announcements are worth stopping for.
Apex is proud to confirm that the Apex 48 is the official ball of the Ultimate Pickleball League for the 2026 season. Every tournament the UPL organises, every match played across their regions, every moment of competition captured on camera — Apex is the only ball in play.
For us this is more than a partnership. It's a statement about what competitive pickleball deserves at the highest level: equipment built with the same seriousness elite athletes bring to the game.
The UPL was founded on a belief that pickleball should be accessible, competitive and built for long-term growth. Apex was built on the same idea. That's why this felt right from the very first conversation.
The league
What is the Ultimate Pickleball League?
The UPL is a city-based semi-professional pickleball league built to give competitive players what the sport has long needed: a real structure, a real pathway, and a genuine league experience between recreational play and the pro tour.
Regional divisions feed into a national championship, with teams spanning the US and expanding internationally into Costa Rica, the Philippines and beyond. Match results are validated through DUPR+, building credible competitive records that carry real weight as the sport continues to expand.
Now expanding
From local courts to global competition.
What started as a regional US league now spans multiple countries, with junior circuits in the Philippines and new expansion teams added every season. This is the proving ground for the next generation of elite pickleball athletes — and Apex is the ball they trust.
Why Apex 48
Built for this level of play.
UPL matches are competitive, high-tempo and played by athletes who take the sport seriously. Equipment takes a real beating in that environment — and that is exactly what the Apex 48 was engineered for.
A ball set apart.
Patent-pending seam. Chamfered-edge 48-hole design engineered to resist cracking and deformation. Built to hold its shape when the season does not let up.
Trusted by players
“Finally, a pickleball that plays the same in game one as it does in game ten. A consistent bounce, a predictable feel off the paddle, and it holds its performance through the entire match.”
Daniel Traxler
PPA World Ranking #80
Follow the season
Watch every match. Back every rally.
The UPL 2026 season is live. Matches stream across regions with elite athletes pushing the pace every week — see the Apex 48 in action at the highest level of semi-pro pickleball.
Find a team near you.
Divisions across the US, Costa Rica and the Philippines — with new teams added every season.
Choose your pack.
View all packsStay in the game