The road to the 2026 tennis season’s first major title has been drawn, with the mixed-teams United Cup setting the stage for several interesting group stage matches across Perth and Sydney from January 2nd – 11th. The official draw, conducted today, placed defending champions and top seeds Team USA in a compelling group in Perth, while last year’s runners-up, Poland, face a tough German challenge in Sydney.
The fourth edition of the event features 18 nations competing in a unique format; one men’s singles, one women’s singles and a decisive mixed doubles match per tie. The star-studded field features five of the world’s top 10 men and four of the top 10 women.
Group Highlights
Perth:
The two-time champions Team USA, led by World No. 3 Coco Gauff and World No. 6 Taylor Fritz, headline Group A and will begin their title defense against Spain and Argentina.
Perhaps the most compelling group of the opening week is Group E:
- Great Britain with a line-up including World No. 10 Jack Draper (back from injury) and fan favorite Emma Raducanu.
- Greece, anchored by the popular duo of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari.
- Tournament debutants Japan, lead by four-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka.
In Group C, third-seeds Italy (with World No. 8 Jasmine Paolini and Flavio Cobolli, no Sinner or Musetti unfortunately) face France and Switzerland, who field a veteran-star duo in Stan Wawrinka and Belinda Bencic.
| City | Group | Teams | Key Players |
| Perth | Group A | USA, Spain, Argentina | Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz |
| Group C | Italy, France, Switzerland | Jasmine Paolini, Stan Wawrinka, Belinda Bencic | |
| Group E | Great Britain, Greece, Japan | Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Maria Sakkari, Naomi Osaka |
Sydney:
The Sydney groups are equally competitive. Group F will see 2024 champions Germany, led by World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, immediately take on last year’s runners-up, Poland. Poland, featuring six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek as well as Hubert Hurkacz, will be keen to avenge their recent final loss, with the Netherlands completing the group.
Home favorites Team Australia, led by Alex de Minaur, find themselves in Group D alongside Norway (Casper Ruud etc) and a strong Czech Republic team.
Second seeds Canada, featuring World No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime and Victoria Mboko, top Group B and will face Belgium and China.
| City | Group | Teams | Key Players |
| Sydney | Group B | Canada, Belgium, China | Felix Auger-Aliassime |
| Group D | Australia, Czechia, Norway | Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud | |
| Group F | Germany, Poland, Netherlands | Alexander Zverev, Iga Swiatek, Hubert Hurkacz |
Tournament Format
The winners of each of the six groups will advance to the Quarter-Finals, along with the best runner-up from each city (Perth and Sydney). All semi-finals and the final will be played in Sydney, with a minimum AUD $17 million in prize money and up to 500 PIF ATP Rankings and WTA Rankings points.
The tournament is positioned as the perfect lead-in to the Australian Open a few weeks after.
The schedule will be announced in the coming days. Group stage tickets will be available from 12.00pm local time on 19th November. Adult tickets start from $40.
Check also our guide for betting on the United Cup or visit the official website of the tournament.
