U.S. Open Racquetball postponed to 2027 after facility damage

Water damage at Missouri State University has pushed the U.S. Open Racquetball Championships out of 2026 and into 2027, wiping out Springfield’s chance to host the sport’s marquee event after months of planning. The delay is more than a scheduling glitch: it removes one of racquetball’s biggest stages, the rare tournament that blends elite professionals, amateur divisions and an international field.

USA Racquetball announced on March 21, 2025 that the U.S. Open would return to Springfield, Missouri, for June 10-14, 2026. The plan centered on Missouri State University and the Springfield Expo Center, with organizers expecting about 500 players from around the world to fill courts across the two venues. Jeff Collins said the event was projected to generate between $750,000 and $1 million in economic impact for Springfield, a figure that showed how much the tournament meant to the city beyond the scoreboard.

Collins said players were expected from Europe, Japan and Latin America, a reminder that the U.S. Open still carries international pull even in a sport that often fights for mainstream attention. USA Racquetball described it as the sport’s most prestigious tournament, and Springfield’s pitch matched that status: a multi-venue weekend that could bring together top pros, amateur brackets and visiting fans under one roof, or in this case, across the Missouri State University Springfield campus and the Springfield Expo Center.

That ambition is exactly why the postponement stings. Daily Racquetball reported on February 10, 2026 that the 2026 edition was delayed until 2027 because of extensive water damage at the university. The loss of the original 2026 slot shows how fragile racquetball’s biggest events can be when they depend on facilities that must be ready to handle court space, logistics, travel and spectator traffic at the same time.

Springfield had been positioned to show what a flagship racquetball event can still do: draw players, attract spectators, and produce a meaningful boost for hotels, restaurants and downtown traffic. The original plan tied the university site with the Springfield Expo Center, including the downtown campus area at 305 W. Mill St., to create the kind of spread-out tournament footprint that can turn a single weekend into a citywide event. The new 2027 date preserves the brand, but the postponement underscores the sport’s bigger challenge: scale is still possible, but sustainability depends on buildings, courts and infrastructure holding up year after year.