Tournament Format & Information 2026

Tournament Format

Sanctioning, Rules & Rankings

All participants must be a Premium or Gold Member in good standing with Racquetball Canada.
All Racquetball Canada / International Racquetball Federation rules apply including rally point scoring.
The Racquetball Canada official ball is the Gearbox Sleek Black.
Racquetball Canada official rankings will be used for all divisions.
The Racquetball Canada Tournament Director reserves the right to reclassify players and combine divisions.
To participate in any National Championship, participants must be a Canadian resident.
To participate in the Open divisions or Junior age categories participants must be a Canadian citizen and be able to meet the International Racquetball Federation’s requirements to represent Canada at International events (does not include Mixed Open Doubles).

Age Divisions

Junior Divisions – Must meet age requirement as of January 1.
Senior Divisions – Must meet age requirement as of the first day of the tournament.

Format & Order of Play

Tournament play starts on Sunday May 17 at 10am and ends on Saturday May 23 in mid-afternoon.
Junior & Adult divisions to be played the same week
Singles & doubles to be played on the same days
Daily schedule in order: Age division singles – skill division singles (repeat singles if necessary) – age division doubles – skill division doubles – mixed doubles
Doubles finals to be played Friday evening
Singles finals to be played Saturday
Losers referee the next match as assigned by the tournament desk

Match Formats

Men’s Open Singles & Doubles and Women’s Open Singles & Doubles Divisions – Olympic Format
Singles – Pool play followed by elimination draws
Doubles – Single elimination draw with consolation
Draws posted at the tournament venue and online on the tournament registration website are the official times.

Match Guarantee

3 match guarantee in singles divisions (unless 2 or 3 person round robin draw)
2 match guarantee in doubles divisions

Division Parameters

Participants may register for a maximum of 3 divisions under the following parameters:
- Max of 2 singles divisions
- Max of 2 doubles divisions

Max of one singles skill division (A, B, C etc.) and one age singles division:
- Singles age division are gender specific
- Singles skill divisions are co-ed unless indicated as a Women’s division

You may play one skill (A, B, C, etc.) doubles and one age division doubles, OR one age doubles and one mixed doubles, OR one skill doubles and one mixed doubles
Skill divisions in doubles must be of the level of the higher ranked partner
For Junior National Team qualification junior participants can only play their specific age category in the following singles divisions: 21U, 18U & 16U
Juniors may play up in age divisions only in doubles divisions
Only juniors aged 13+ may participate in adult skill divisions
Juniors participating in their singles age category may register for a 4th division under the following parameters:
- Max of 2 singles divisions and 2 doubles divisions
- To register for a 4th division you must email admin@racquetballcanada.ca

Tournament Rules

Racquetball Canada follows the IRF Rule Book for all competitions. In addition, the following apply.

Introducing Fun Divisions!

Join the fun at Nationals! These recreational divisions are all about enjoying the game, connecting with others, and making great memories.

Monday 9am to 11am – Junior Double Bounce
Tuesday 6pm to 8pm – Moms and Sisters (double bounce)

Racquetball Canada Bronze membership required for participation. Available during registration process.

Junior Singles 12U Friendship Division

We are happy to introduce a new division for our 12U juniors:

Single bounce division
Pool play / round robin format with no playoffs
Three games to 11 played regardless of game winner
All participants receive a prize

The Junior Parade! Celebrate Together.

With the growing number of junior participants nationwide, we’re excited to bring back a special kickoff ceremony for our juniors!

Join us for the Junior Parade on Sunday, May 17 from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. (Note: arrival time for athletes and coaches is 4:30pm).

More details will be announced closer to the beginning of the tournament, but if you’re a junior athlete, plan to arrive in Burlington by mid-afternoon on Sunday to take part.

Ranking Guidelines for Skill Divisions

Men’s & Women’s Open are based on gender specific rankings
Women’s A/B and C/D are based on women’s rankings
Coed divisions are based on coed rankings
Players can choose to play a higher skill level then their ranking
Players may not play lower than their ranking
Applies to all skill divisions (singles, doubles and mixed doubles)
Skill divisions in doubles must be of the level of the higher ranked partner

Division	Ranking Placement
Men's Open	1 to 30
Women's Open	1 to 12
Coed Elite	31 to 85
Coed A	86 to 145
Coed B	146 to 235
Coed C	236 to 300
Coed D	301 +
Women's A/B	13 to 45
Women's B/C	45 +

Registration

Registration Fees

1st Division: $135
2nd Division: $25
3rd Division $15

INCLUDES

Welcome package
Meet & Greet
Banquet
Tournament souvenir (black performance shirt)

Additional Purchases:

$80: 5 lunch tickets for The Kitchen at Burlington Hall

$50: 3 lunch tickets for The Kitchen at Burlington Hall

$25: Upgrade to premium souvenir (black zip hoodie)

$80: Additional Banquet Ticket

Registration Deadline

The registration deadline is May 4 at 23:59 Eastern. No late registrations will be accepted.