Building the Business Around the World Cup
How AAC and Heineken are expanding pickleball’s commercial reach
By Dan Beeman • September 9, 2026 • 5 min read
Da Nang as a platform
CRUISING ON A scooter along the coastal boulevard past My Khe Beach early this morning, feeling the salt air shift into the humid hum of Da Nang, the sheer magnitude of what is taking place in central Vietnam hits you immediately.
Heading toward the flying-saucer silhouette of the Tiên Sơn Sports Palace, you are surrounded by thousands of traveling athletes, coaches and enthusiasts representing more than 80 countries. As I walk the venue today to document the physical footprint, one thing is abundantly clear: pickleball is no longer an emerging recreational pastime. It is becoming a significant force in global sports tourism.
When I completed my graduate research at UNLV on The Implications of Pickleball for Resorts and explored The Rise of Pickleball Tourism, the core conclusion was straightforward: properties and destinations that treat racquet and paddle sports merely as casual amenities risk failing to maximize their potential. Seeing Heineken step forward as title sponsor of the Heineken Pickleball World Cup 2026 brings another dimension to that discussion: the growing role of global sponsorship in the sport.
An activation of this magnitude does not happen by accident. It requires the infrastructure, partnerships and operational planning to build the stage.
How AAC Built the Stage
Before a multinational brand commits to a title-level sponsorship, an event needs operational infrastructure, government coordination and the ability to deliver a large-scale international competition.
For the World Cup in Da Nang, America & Asia Connect (AAC) and its leadership group, led by Director Dương Quang Thuận and his partner Nguyễn Thị Huyền Vi, helped create that foundation.
AAC had previously been involved in the PPA Tour Asia event in Da Nang, which broke the Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a pickleball tournament with nearly 8,000 spectators. The event demonstrated Vietnam’s ability to host pickleball competition on a significant scale.
For the 2026 World Cup, AAC’s work extends across several areas.
The organization coordinated with municipal leadership in Da Nang, national sports ministries and international federations around the use of Tiên Sơn Sports Center and surrounding athletic facilities.
AAC also created a 200-booth World Market and dedicated interactive festival zones, giving sponsors space to engage with players and spectators beyond the competition courts. For Heineken, those spaces provided opportunities for branded areas, interactive challenge courts and athlete lounges.
Under Dương Quang Thuận’s direction, the tournament also expanded its divisions to include Junior, Kids and Senior brackets, broadening participation and creating opportunities for emerging Vietnamese players to compete as part of an international event on home soil.
Together, those elements created the platform on which a title sponsor could build a much larger presence.
How Heineken Used the Platform
With the event infrastructure in place, Heineken’s title sponsorship extends well beyond traditional courtside signage.
Throughout Tiên Sơn, the brand’s presence includes beverage service, Heineken 0.0, player areas and other activations designed to connect with athletes and spectators throughout the event.
One element is the placement of Heineken 0.0 within player lounges and the World Market, allowing the brand to connect its non-alcoholic product with players during the competition.
Another is what Heineken has branded “The 4th Game.”
In recreational pickleball, the experience often continues after the final point. Players finish their games and spend time socializing with one another. Heineken has taken that familiar part of pickleball culture and incorporated it into its World Cup activation, extending its presence into the post-play experience.
The event also includes an air-conditioned VIP hospitality suite overlooking Championship Court, providing another environment for Heineken to host guests and business partners during the tournament.
The strategy illustrates a larger opportunity for brands entering pickleball. Sponsorship does not have to end with exposure around the court. An international event creates multiple opportunities to interact with players, spectators and business partners throughout their experience.
As I see it, sponsorship is about exposure, but the greater opportunity comes when a brand finds an authentic connection to the culture surrounding the sport.
The Next Frontier
The enthusiasm generated in Da Nang demonstrates that players will cross oceans for the game. AAC has helped establish a competitive tournament model capable of bringing an international field to Vietnam.
The next evolution is finding ways to extend that model beyond elite competition to the recreational sports traveler: players who travel with spouses, families or private clubs not to chase ranking points, but for hospitality, social play and destination discovery.
Major tournaments can bring international players and spectators into a destination. The opportunity is to turn their time around the competition into a broader travel experience and, eventually, give recreational players reasons to make similar trips even when they are not competing.
The Strategic Horizon
Heineken’s title sponsorship in Da Nang demonstrates the level of corporate investment now entering international pickleball, while AAC’s work illustrates the infrastructure and local coordination necessary to support it.
Together, the World Cup, its organizers and its sponsors offer a look at how international pickleball events can connect competition, commercial partnerships and destination tourism.
As the sport continues to grow, destinations have an opportunity to unite tournament competition with hospitality and vacation experiences. Da Nang provides a current example of how those pieces can begin to come together.
The next question is how far that model can go.
About Dan Beeman
Dan Beeman is CEO of Superlative Pickleball Travel and Resort Services and holds a Master of Hospitality degree from UNLV, where his research focused on the economic implications of pickleball for resorts. His work focuses on pickleball travel, resort development, site evaluation and hospitality programming.
Read the full magazine issue! Click below, then click on the X in the lower bar to enjoy a full screen view!
