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| The drawing for the first Pickleball Heineken World Cup 2026 in Đà Nẵng City. Photos courtesy of Pickleball World Cup | ĐÀ NẴNG – Việt Nam's pickleball team have been drawn in group A with Colombia, Cayman Islands and Chile in the Open Division of the first-ever pickleball Heineken World Cup, taking place in Đà Nẵng from August 30 to September 6. Event organisers said the competition will draw in the world's best pickleball players, with 64 teams competing in 16 groups, marking the first World Cup event in the beach city. Việt Nam's team is made up of top national players including Lý Hoàng Nam, Phúc Huỳnh, Trương Vinh Hiển, Sophia Phương Anh and Sophia Huỳnh Trần. | The competition will draw in the world's best pickleball players, with 64 teams competing in 16 groups, marking the first World Cup event in the beach city. | According to events company America & Asia Connect, all of the matches will be held at the city’s Tiên Sơn Sports Centre starting at 8am. Nearly 5,000 players from 81 countries and territories will be competing in men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles categories in the Open, Senior, Master, Junior and Kids events. The World Cup will also include an exhibition and World Market event with 200 pavilions displaying products from around the globe. All 37 players for team Việt Nam will compete in the Open, Junior and Kids events. The event organisers said internationally ranked players such as Roos Van Reek of the Netherlands, the US' Quang Dương, Jack Munro, Vivian Glozman and Bobbi Oshiro, Jack Wong of Hong Kong, Nicola Schoeman of Australia, Harsh Mehta from India and Jay Devilliers of France will participate, among others. The tournament is expected to attract domestic and international visitors for the National Holiday week, which is from August 29 to September 2. | A pickleball player warms up for the tournament in Đà Nẵng. | Last year, Đà Nẵng successfully held a continental pickleball tournament, the Professional Pickleball Association's Tour Asia-Vietnam, with the participation of more than 120 professionals and 1,000 amateurs. Chairman of the city’s Pickeball Association Trần Phước Sơn said Đà Nẵng would become a popular and attractive venue for global pickleball players. Đà Nẵng will be the fourth destination hosting the World Cup event after Chile (twice) and the US last year, according to America & Asia Connect. Over the past several years, the beach city has emerged as a hub for large sporting events, including the Đà Nẵng International Marathon and Ironman Vietnam. The city also welcomed footballing legends from Manchester United and the former national team of Brazil in friendly tours in 2024 and 2025. Pickleball, which originated in the US 59 years ago, was introduced to Việt Nam in 2018. — VNS