FILA backs PPA Tour Asia stops in Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur
FILA’s role in Vietnam and Malaysia goes beyond branding: it shows Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur are becoming anchor markets for pro pickleball in Asia.
FILA’s move into PPA Tour Asia is more than a kit deal. By becoming the Official Local Platinum Partner for the MB Ho Chi Minh City Open and the Kuala Lumpur Cup, the global sportswear brand is backing two events that now sit near the center of Asia’s emerging pro pickleball economy.
The partnership will outfit the full tournament operation at both stops, including apparel and footwear for players, crew, volunteers, match officials and VIPs. That level of visible support matters in a sport still building its commercial identity in the region. Jimmy Jin Bohyun, managing director of Misto Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., said the initiative is intended to support a growing pickleball culture and place FILA at the center of two key markets in Southeast Asia.
The calendar gives that bet real weight. The Ho Chi Minh City Open is scheduled for August 6-9, 2026, and PPA Tour Asia lists it as a PPA Asia 500 event with US$70,000 in prize money and 500 ranking points. The Kuala Lumpur Cup follows on September 9-13, 2026, and it carries the higher-end status: a PPA Asia 1000 event with US$300,000 on the line and 1,000 ranking points. For pros, that means Kuala Lumpur is the bigger haul, but both stops now offer enough money and points to shape the season.
That matters because PPA Tour Asia is no longer presenting Vietnam and Malaysia as one-off showcases. The tour says its 2026 season spans multiple Asian markets as part of a broader professional calendar, and points earned at PPA events feed a unified global ranking. In that structure, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur are not just venues. They are ranking gateways, and that gives the events added credibility with players chasing season-long positioning.
The 2025 stop in Ho Chi Minh City already hinted at the scale of the opportunity. It was Vietnam’s first-ever PPA Tour Asia event and was described as the country’s largest pickleball tournament to date. FILA’s entry suggests the commercial model is moving beyond launch energy into repeatable, premium partnerships. For tournament organizers, it strengthens the case that major brands now see enough depth in Vietnam and Malaysia to invest in the operation itself, not just the visibility around it. For players, it means better-supported events, greater visibility and a stronger pathway through a region that is quickly becoming impossible for global sponsors to ignore.
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