The 2026 United Cup, an international hard-court tennis tournament organized by Tennis Australia, is scheduled to take place from January 2 to January 11 in Perth and Sydney. This marks the fourth edition of the event, which showcases both ATP and WTA players.
A total of eighteen national teams, each consisting of up to three male and three female players, will participate. The competition will begin with a group stage followed by knockout rounds. Matches in Perth will occur at RAC Arena, while Sydney will host events at Ken Rosewall Arena.
What is the United Cup format?
In the group stage, the 18 teams are divided into six groups of three, competing in a round-robin format. Groups A, C, and E will be held in Perth, while Groups B, D, and F will take place in Sydney. The top team from each group, along with the best runner-up from each city, will progress to the quarterfinals.
Perth will host its quarterfinal matches on January 7, with the winners moving to Sydney for the semifinals and finals. Teams traveling from Perth will have a rest day on January 8 and 9. The quarterfinal matches in Sydney are set for January 8 and 9, followed by the semifinals on January 10 and the final on January 11.
What are the groups and teams?
The complete roster and rankings for each qualified team can be accessed here. Players in italics indicate the top women’s singles player for their country and are slated to compete in the singles matches. The top six seeds were assigned to Groups A-F, while the remaining countries were drawn randomly into the groups.
What is the daily schedule?
Events will generally include day and night sessions. In Perth, the day session starts at 10 a.m. and the night at 5 p.m., while Sydney’s day session begins at 10:30 a.m. and the night session at 5:30 p.m. Each session will feature two singles matches and a mixed doubles match. A detailed schedule can be found here.
What are the ranking points and prize money?
The United Cup holds a WTA 500 category status, and ranking points are awarded solely for singles match wins, not mixed doubles. Prize money will be distributed based on individual match victories as well as team performance throughout the tournament.
Top matches to look out for
Among the highlights, Emma Raducanu from Great Britain will face Naomi Osaka from Japan on January 4 in Group E. Additionally, Jasmine Paolini of Italy will compete against Belinda Bencic from Switzerland in Group C on the same day. Another exciting match will occur on January 6 between rising star Victoria Mboko and established player Elise Mertens in Group B.
