2025 Major League Pickleball Home Team Advantage Rule: A major change in the 2025 Major League Pickleball (MLP) season gives “home” teams a key advantage before matches begin. Starting with MLP Orlando, April 24–27 at the USTA National Campus in Florida, home teams will now get to react to opponent lineups, creating new strategy dynamics.
Home teams can now set lineups last
A rule in the 2025 MLP Rules Guide states that “home” teams will submit their match and game lineups by 10 p.m. local time the night before. They will also be able to see their opponent’s lineup first and respond to it—across women’s, men’s, both mixed doubles, and the DreamBreaker round.
This rule replaces the previous system from 2024, where a coin toss decided who got to make key choices. The toss allowed each team to pick two of four match elements to control, such as who served first, court side, or the chance to respond to mixed pairings.
More power in mixed and DreamBreaker matchups
Last year, teams often used the coin toss win to respond to mixed doubles. Choosing the right pairing matchup could help seal a win. Teams that were ahead 2-0 could match their best pair against a weaker one for a 3-0 sweep. That’s no longer decided by luck.
The DreamBreaker round is also affected. In 2024, the team that picked mixed pairings second had to submit their DreamBreaker lineup first. That’s reversed. The home team in 2025 will now get to see and respond to both.
As the rules put it: “Home” teams will be able to see the opponent’s lineups and respond to the gender, mixed, and DreamBreaker lineups.”
Uneven home games raise fairness concerns
The new rule also puts a spotlight on how many matches each team plays as the home team. Every team will play 25 matches across five events this season. But that won’t mean an even number of home and away matches.
The fairest setup would be 13 home and 12 away (or vice versa). But that’s not guaranteed, especially with 16 Premier level teams. If one team plays more home matches than another, it gains a real edge—one not available in 2024.
This imbalance is similar to strength of schedule, where not all teams face the same difficulty. Last season, Erik Tice from The Dink found that the New Jersey 5s had the easiest schedule based on opponent win percentages. They reached the playoffs. The Columbus Sliders, with the hardest schedule, finished near the bottom.
Looking ahead to the season
Team schedules won’t be released until a few weeks before each event, so it will take time to see if some teams get more home games. But the stakes are clear. In 2025, playing as the home team comes with real control.
The season kicks off at MLP Orlando, where all 16 Premier teams will compete in four days of action. All eyes will be on how this new rule shapes early outcomes—and whether the edge proves decisive in close contests.
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News in Brief: 2025 Major League Pickleball Home Team Advantage Rule
MLP’s new 2025 rule lets home teams adjust lineups after seeing their opponents’, a big shift from the old coin toss method. This gives home teams a tactical edge in mixed and DreamBreaker rounds. With an uneven home-away split, fairness may become a major storyline this season.
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