Team USA triumphs as Pickleball World Cup dazzles at The Fort

Chandler Carney said the Pickleball World Cup, held in Fort Lauderdale from October 28 to November 2, was “electric.”

Others who were there last weekend used other words or phrases to describe the event, including “inclusive”, “magical” and “explosive growth.”

That last phrase has to do with the fact that the first Pickleball World Cup – held in Lima, Peru in 2023 – had only 14 countries competing. Last year, that number grew to 32, again in Lima, and this year there were 68 nations represented at The Fort, Broward County’s 43-court pickleball palace.

It is estimated that more than 25,000 fans attended the six-day event.

Carney, an American who founded the Chilean Pickleball Association and now lives full-time in Santiago, said the 2025 World Cup was the best one yet.

“The facility was absolutely impressive,” said Carney, a former NCAA Division I women’s volleyball player at DePaul University. “The courts were top of the line. Having a center court with a view from the restaurant was unique. And the pro shop was the best I’ve ever seen.”

Brad Tuckman, CEO of the Fort, said the enthusiasm at the World Cup was so overwhelming that it brought him to tears.

Tuckman was awed by Argentina’s team, which made a grand entrance that included what was essentially a drum-heavy marching bad. Tuckman also said Team Bahamas’ festive costumes and dancing displays were memorable.

But the craziest moment came when two matches with large contingents of fans were scheduled simultaneously and on adjoining courts.

“Fans were climbing on steel columns to be able to watch,” Tuckman said. “We weren’t running the event, but we’re responsible for everyone’s safety, and with the energy in the air building fast, I could tell the excitement was about to tip from electric to risky.”

Ultimately, a third match was moved to another court. That left Puerto Rico versus Russia on Court One, and USA against Venezuela on Court Three. Court Two was left empty to accommodate the fans.

“It was crazy,” Tuckman said.

Crazy, but in a good way as the event worked. For example, the 2025 World Cup was capped to a skill level of 5.5 or below, which made it accessible to more countries around the world.

Even so, the United States won all three gold medals – the seniors (50 and over), the juniors (16 and under) and the pros.

Macy Zambrano, one of the American pros, is a former Division I tennis player at the University of North Carolina.

She now lives in St. Petersburg, which is where she learned to play pickleball in 2022.

“It was amazing,” Zambrano said of Team USA’s win. “There was a big buildup all weekend, and I loved that moment when we won and got to celebrate on the court.”

The USA pro team – which beat Hong Kong 4-0 in the final – had several South Floridian players: Django Chassang; Dylan Lewis; Nicole Conard; and Helen Challenger.

As for the senior team, which beat Italy 3-0 in the final, they also had four players from South Florida: Mark Milner, Mario Porcelli; Pam Ruoff; and Karen Seguso. Their coach, Steve Rose, is also local.

The USA juniors, with no South Floridians, defeated Venezuela, 3-1, in the final.

Kyle Yates, who served as coach of the USA pro team, said winning gold was “a relief” more than anything.

“We knew we had the best team,” Yates said.

“The greatest news is that the average age of our team was less than 27 years old, and that’s an example of where pickleball is headed in the future.”

Yates also said that the rest of the world will be working even harder to catch Team USA.

“The theatrics of this tournament were fantastic,” Yates said. “To see a whole stadium cheering was incredible. This showed other countries how big pickleball can be, and it’s only going to motivate them further.”

Tammy Goldfisher, one of the directors/investors of Pickleball World Cup, said her group is hoping to announce the host of the 2026 event by the end of this year.

The Fort could host again next year.

“We’re assessing what went well and things we can do better,” Goldfisher said. “One thing we did well was how we interacted with the athletes. There was tremendous enthusiasm.”

Goldfisher said she believes this was the biggest pickleball event ever.

“It blew last year’s World Cup away,” she said. “The Fort is a proven winner, but this is a World Cup, and we’re a global company. We have to go through the process and make sure we’re open to other offers.

“But The Fort is the Wimbledon of pickleball.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2025 at 7:00 AM.