FAQ
Questions?
We've got answers.
Everything you might want to know about Quick Play, ratings, tournaments, fair play, clubs, and your account.
01
Getting started
- What is MatchUp?
- MatchUp is the app and organizer console for competitive racket sports — pickleball, tennis, badminton, and table tennis. With it, you can find a match in seconds with Quick Play. You get a score that follows the rules of your sport. You build a rating that follows you everywhere you play. And you can run full tournaments from any browser.
- Which sports does MatchUp support?
- Pickleball, tennis, badminton, and table tennis. Each sport keeps its own rating. But all four ratings live under one profile — so you carry one identity across every sport.
- Is MatchUp free?
- Yes. MatchUp is free to use and there is no paid membership. You can find matches, score them by the real rules, and build your rating without paying anything.
- Do I need an account to play?
- You can try MatchUp without an account — a Guest Pass gives you three Quick Play games. Sign up when you want to keep your matches and rating; your record carries over. Spectators, though, can follow a public tournament match from any browser without installing the app or signing up.
02
Quick Play & matches
- How does Quick Play work?
- Pick your sport and format and MatchUp gives you a QR code and a six-character room code. Your opponent scans or types the code and you're both ready. A five-second countdown starts, then the match begins.
- Can I play singles and doubles?
- Yes. Choose the format when you set up the match — MatchUp tracks the right number of players and scores to the rules that format uses.
- How is the score kept?
- MatchUp knows what a legal score looks like in each sport — pickleball's side-outs, tennis deuce, badminton's win-by-two and 30-point cap — so an 11-10 pickleball game or a 21-20 badminton game can't be saved.
- What if I enter the wrong score?
- You can fix the scorecard before you submit it, and your opponent confirms or disputes the result, so a typo never lands on your record.
03
Ratings & progression
- How does the rating system work?
- MatchUp uses a rating system called ELO — the same style chess uses. Everyone starts at 1200. Your first 10 matches are provisional, while the system learns your skill level. Beat a stronger player, and your rating climbs faster.
- What are skill tiers?
- Tiers run from Rookie up to Immortal and move with your rating, so progress feels like ranking up rather than watching a bare number change.
- What's the difference between rating and XP?
- Your skill rating reflects how you're playing right now and can go up or down. XP only ever goes up — every match earns it, win or lose — so it's a permanent record of everything you've played.
- Do I have one rating across all sports?
- No — you keep a separate rating for each sport under one profile. Being a table-tennis veteran doesn't inflate your pickleball rating, and vice versa.
04
Tournaments
- What tournament formats are supported?
- Single elimination, double elimination, round robin, and group stage. Tournaments can be player-owned or club-owned.
- Do I need special software to organize?
- No. Organizers run every round — seeding, scores, advancing the bracket, handling no-shows — from any browser on a phone or laptop.
- What is the Live Draw?
- Once the players are ranked (called 'seeding'), the animated Live Draw reveals the matchups on screen. It's a fun moment to watch — not just a boring list.
- Can spectators follow a tournament?
- Yes. Results show up for spectators as rounds play out, so you can follow the whole bracket from any browser.
05
Fair play & disputes
- What happens if players disagree on a score?
- Either player can raise a counter-claim instead of arguing in a group chat. Both sides state their case and can attach evidence.
- How are disputes resolved?
- A neutral moderator reviews the claim and the evidence. Their decision becomes the final record, so nobody has to argue it out over DM.
- Why does MatchUp ask about my location?
- An optional check-in can confirm that players were actually at the same court — a quiet signal that a result is real. It's a trust feature, not a tracker, and it's optional.
06
Clubs & community
- What can a club do on MatchUp?
- A club gets its own space with announcements and its own tournaments — turning a scattered group of players into a standing community.
- Can I message other players?
- Yes — for registered players aged 13 and over. Under-13 accounts have no direct messages. Messaging lives next to the games it's about, so you can line up a match, find a doubles partner, or call a club night without leaving the app.
- How do leaderboards work?
- There's no public leaderboard to browse. You see your own rank and skill tier for each sport as you play — Rookie up to Immortal — moving with your rating.
07
Account & privacy
- Who controls what's shown on my profile?
- You do. Location check-ins are optional, and your profile shows what you choose to show. The honest match record is there to help you, not expose you.
- Is MatchUp available on iOS and Android?
- MatchUp is on Google Play. The other native listing is still in progress. Today you can play and organize in the browser.
08
For parents
- Is MatchUp safe for my child?
- Yes, and we built it for that. We never ask for a date of birth — only an age range, and that range is never shown on a profile. A player under 18 needs a parent or guardian to approve the account before it becomes active.
- What can a child under 13 do — and not do?
- Play matches, keep a rating, and earn achievements. They cannot send messages, join group chats, add friends, post text, or upload a photo — they pick a preset avatar. We never store their precise location, and no one under 18 sees personalised ads.
- How does approval work?
- Your child enters your email or phone. You get one secure link. You read a short notice and tap Approve. You don't need a MatchUp account, a password, or an ID document. You can withdraw your approval at any time from the same link.
- Can my child play while waiting for my approval?
- Yes — as a guest, for up to three Quick Play games. Nothing they earn is lost when you approve.
Still have a question?
We read everything. Reach the team at hello@match-up.ai.
