ITF MEDIA RELEASE, January 19, 2026
Fourteen nations have learned their path to the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals after the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers draw took place at the ITF offices in London on Monday.
Australia will host long-time rivals Great Britain in a 12th meeting between the nations; while 11-time champions Czechia face 2022 champions Switzerland for the 4th time in the last 6 years. Ukraine take on Poland in a repeat of their 2025 Qualifiers group meeting; and USA will travel to Belgium to contest a rematch of their tie at this stage in 2024.
The 2026 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers will feature 14 teams competing in 7 home-or-away ties from Friday 10 to Saturday 11 April.
From 2026, each Qualifiers tie will consist of two singles matches on day one, and doubles first on day two followed by the two reverse singles matches. This marks the first time in the competition’s history that live doubles matches will be guaranteed and further aligns the competition’s format with Davis Cup.
The 14 competing nations will be the 7 nations that competed at the 2025 Finals, not including hosts China, P.R., and the 7 nations that won their 2025 Play-off groups in November. The 7 tie winners will qualify for the 2026 Finals, with losing nations competing in the 2026 Play-offs in November.
The 2026 edition of the women’s World Cup of Tennis will seek to build on the success of 2025, which saw a record number of nations enter the competition and Italy romp to their second successive title last year in front of enthusiastic crowds in Shenzhen. A record 148 nations have entered this year.
The full 2026 Qualifiers draw is listed below, with seedings determined by the most recent Billie Jean King Cup Nations Rankings by Mastercard from 17 November 2025.
2026 Qualifiers draw:
Italy (1) (c)** v Japan
Belgium (c) v USA (2)
Australia (c)* v Great Britain (3)
Kazakhstan (c) v Canada (4)
Slovenia (c)* v Spain (5)
Switzerland (c) v Czechia (6)
Ukraine (c) v Poland (7)
(c) = choice of ground; * = choice of ground decided by lot, ** = choice of ground as 2025 champions
