Major League Table Tennis staging first-ever weighted draft lottery April 7

Major League Table Tennis will stage its first-ever weighted draft lottery on April 7, 2026, to decide the first six selections of the Season 4 Draft, with TableTennis TV listing the full draft on April 30 and registration for players open through March 23. The league says the April 7 ball-draw is a “first-ever weighted MLTT Draft Lottery” and will directly affect which teams land the top opportunities in the Season 4 pool.

Eligibility for the draw is limited to teams that fail to reach Championship Weekend. TableTennis TV frames the entrants as “the six teams that miss this year’s Championship Weekend” and explains the lottery is conducted as a random drawing of balls representing each eligible team. The number of balls each eligible team receives “will be determined based on the reverse order of their regular-season finishes.”

The draw will continue until the first three picks are drawn; TableTennis TV notes “the lottery will end once the first three picks are determined.” The three non-selected clubs among the six will then receive picks 4, 5 and 6 based on reverse record order. Picks 7–10 are reserved for the four postseason-bound teams and will be allocated in the reverse order of how those clubs perform at Championship Weekend, with the Season 3 MLTT Champion picking 10th.

MLTT frames the lottery as a franchise-altering opportunity for non-postseason teams: the reporting says the event “could be their best chance to acquire a player talented enough to take them there in future seasons.” TableTennis TV explicitly points to world-class names in this year’s pool, citing Nigerian star Quadri Aruna, listed as Men’s Singles No. 35, as an example of the talent teams could target. The report also reiterates that “the team that earns the No. 1 pick can select any player from this year’s pool of world-class talent.”

Player registration details are laid out on the league site. MLTT confirms “Registration for the Season 4 Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) Draft has officially opened,” and the form “will remain open until March 23.” Applicants must create a free SPINDEX account to access the registration form; the form asks about availability, tournament results and ITTF world ranking among other items. TableTennis TV adds that “any player, regardless of skill level, can declare for the Season 4 Draft until registration closes on March 23.”

The draft mechanism continues a format MLTT established at launch; Season 4 will be the fourth year the league has used a draft model inspired by U.S. pro sports. Historic picks from the MLTT 2023 Draft include the Carolina Gold Rush selecting 28-year-old Enzo Angles first overall under head coach Alex Yang, with Daniel Gorak to the Florida Crocs, Jinxin Wang to the Princeton Revolution, Amy Wang to the Texas Smash, Damien Provost to the Chicago Wind, Wenzhang Tao to the Bay Area Blasters, Nikhil Kumar to the Seattle Spinners and Jiwei Xia to the Portland Power. MLTT’s roster pages also list SPINDEX ratings for several top draftees: Liam Pitchford 2897, Robert Gardos 2810, Seungmin Cho 2805, Yuya Oshima 2775 and Koki Niwa 2753.

One scheduling discrepancy remains: TableTennis TV gives a specific draft date of April 30 while the MLTT official site lists the Season 4 Draft as occurring “shortly after the conclusion of Championship Weekend, either at the end of April or early in May.” TableTennis TV referenced a post by Major League Table Tennis on Instagram (@majorleaguetabletennis) in its coverage, and MLTT lists its mailing address as 745 Alexander Rd #9, Princeton, NJ 08540. The April 7 ball-draw will set the first three lottery picks and reshape how teams approach the remainder of the Season 4 selection order.