The Portland Paddlers are gearing up for an exciting weekend as they prepare to face off against the Los Angeles Spinners, Chicago Wind, and Carolina Gold Rush in the Oregon Convention Center.
This weekend marks the third week of an intense 15-week tournament that runs from March 20 to 22, 2026.
As one of just ten teams in the Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), the Paddlers are eager to showcase their skills on home turf.
With a roster of elite table tennis athletes from around the globe, the Portland Paddlers are looking to build on their two wins from three matches during last month’s competition held in Pleasanton, California.
For the past two seasons, the Paddlers have secured third place in the highly competitive West Division of the league, which consists of five teams.
Founded in 2023 by software entrepreneur and table tennis enthusiast Flint Lane, MLTT is the first professional table tennis league in the United States.
Despite being overshadowed by local sports giants such as the Blazers, Thorns, and Timbers, the Portland Paddlers are gaining momentum as interest in table tennis grows.
Hampus Nordberg, a Portland player drafted from Sweden, attributes part of this rise in popularity to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He cites the remarkable success of Truls Möregårdh, the Swedish player who secured a silver medal in the men’s singles event at last year’s Olympics.
Last year, Coach Christian Lillieroos made Nordberg his top pick when constructing the Paddlers’ eight-person team.
Alongside Nordberg, the team features another Swedish player, along with two athletes from Korea, one from Japan, and two representing the United States.
Over the course of a typical weekend, four of the ten MLTT teams converge in a city, with each team competing against another throughout Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Lillieroos selects six players from the Paddlers to participate in one match each day, according to MLTT rules, one of those players must be female.
Nordberg expressed his enthusiasm for competing in this unique league, stating, “It’s a very special, special league to play here in the U.S., and I’ve been enjoying it a lot.
A fun and new crazy experience.”
The match format for MLTT consists of five games: two singles, one doubles, and two additional singles.
The excitement peaks during the Golden Game, a finale where each team member rotates in every four points, racing to score 21 points — an exhilarating highlight that captivates the audience.
Lillieroos described the Golden Game as “a massive drama” that has become a crowd favorite.
Reflecting on their first match last month, Nordberg described it as “a good start.”
In his rigorous training regimen, he practices table tennis six to seven times a week, in addition to maintaining his fitness through running and weight training.
“My joke is always that the only thing you need to be good at in table tennis is you have to be a professional bodybuilder, a marathon runner, and a chess player, and then you become a good table tennis player,” Lillieroos quipped.
As the weekend approaches, Lillieroos feels optimistic about their chances of success, expressing confidence in the support of their home crowd.
“I believe that we have a very good home court crowd, and I think that’s gonna help us,” he said.
Fans hoping to catch the Portland Paddlers in action this weekend can find tickets available for purchase online.
image source from：opb
