The ITF has announced changes to the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup formats for 2025, as part of a long-term strategy to bring the two World Cup of Tennis events closer together. The format amendments aim to build on the success we have seen across both events in recent years and contributes towards our long-term ambition to bring them more in sync under the World Cup of Tennis banner.
In Billie Jean King Cup, the move to an 8-team Finals aligns with the Davis Cup Final 8 format which has proven to be such a success… The move also allows us to showcase world-class tennis in more nations around the world and increase awareness and participation.
David Haggerty, ITF President
The changes will see the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers transition in 2025 to a round robin group format ahead of the November Finals, which changes from 12 to 8 teams, while home-or-away ties will return for the BJK Cup Qualifiers in 2026.
The Davis Cup will move away from the September Group Stages in favour of another home-or-away tie, with the winners advancing to the Final 8 in November.
The BJK Cup 2025 Qualifiers will be played across 7-day events in April, with 3 teams competing against each other in a round robin group format.
Each group will be held in one location with the 7 group winners moving on to join the host nation at the 2025 Finals, mirroring the Davis Cup.
The 2025 Billie Jean King Cup format will be:
W/c 7 April Qualifiers – 21 nations competing in 7 round robin groups – 3 teams per group
November – Date TBC Finals – 8 nations compete in a knock-out tournament for the title, with 7 nations from the Qualifiers and 1 host nation
November – Date TBC Play-Offs – 21 nations competing in 7 round robin groups – 3 teams per group, with 7 group winners progressing to 2026 Qualifiers
ITF President, David Haggerty, seen here in the Royal Box at Wimbledon last year, believes aligning the two team competitions will have long-term benefits© Julian Finney/Getty Images
“Today’s news is another positive step forward for both the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge and Davis Cup, and I am excited for the future of both competitions,” David Haggerty, ITF President, said in a statement.
“The format amendments aim to build on the success we have seen across both events in recent years and contributes towards our long-term ambition to bring them more in sync under the World Cup of Tennis banner.
“In Billie Jean King Cup, the move to an 8-team Finals aligns with the Davis Cup Final 8 format which has proven to be such a success.
“Moving the Davis Cup September stage from 6-day group stage events to 2-day home-or-away ties will ease players’ schedules immediately following the US Open, while maintaining the intensity of the competition that they all love.
“The move also allows us to showcase world-class tennis in more nations around the world and increase awareness and participation.
“With these exciting developments for 2025 now confirmed, our focus is on delivering a spectacular fortnight of tennis at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga in November.”
The Lexus Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team will head to Málaga next month to face Germany in the 1st-round of the 2024 Finals.
The Finals have been relocated from Sevilla to nearby Málaga, Spain, and will take place alongside the men’s Davis Cup Final 8.
The event will now be hosted at Málaga’s Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena. Iga Swiatek led Team Poland in the April Qualifiers but will not be in the squad in the BJK Cup Finals in November© Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images for ITF
World No 1 Iga Swiatek, 6th-ranked Coco Gauff and No 8 Emma Navarro, though, have opted out of the Poland and the United States’ respective squads for the Finals, which will take place from 13-20 November in Malaga, Spain, coming hot on the heels of the WTA Finals.
Barbora Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champion, will not be representing Czechia either, as she is eligible for a place in Saudi Arabia thanks to her winning the third major of the year, even if she does not finish inside the Top 8 players by rank…
The year-end WTA Finals, which take place from 2-9 November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, create a tight schedule for the top 8 women’s players who qualify.
Top players deciding to skip significant events such as the BJK Cup finals are giving the tennis authorities cause for thought about how packed the schedule is.
The 12 teams in the event have announced their line-ups, with US Open finalist Jessica Pegula leading Team USA.
Four-time major winner and former World No 1 Naomi Osaka headlines Japan’s squad, with 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu representing Canada alongside 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez.
Emma Raducanu, who beat Fernandez to win her US Open title, will play for Great Britain, alongside Katie Boulter, who has enjoyed some thrilling highs and disappointing lows as she has adapted to her status as British No 1 over the last 18 months.
She retained her WTA Tour Nottingham Open title with some impressive performances on grass courts in June, with Boulter’s run to that title including a win against her team-mate Raducanu.
Harriet Dart will have a big role to play after establishing herself in the Top 100 of the WTA rankings, while Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls could be valuable contributors in the doubles.
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini will represent Italy, alongside Sara Errani, fresh from the pair winning the Paris 2024 Olympic Gold medal in women’s doubles, while another US Open semi-finalist, Karolina Muchova, will represent the Czech Republic.
Former World No 2 and resurgent Paula Badosa leads Spain’s team, Olympic semi-finalist Anna Karolina Schmiedlova will play for Slovakia, Magdalena Fręch will represent Poland, fresh off her first WTA Tour title in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Olivia Gadecki, the beaten finalist there, will play for Australia.
Twelve teams are participating in total, including 2023 winners Canada and runners-up Italy,…Canada are the defending champions in Malaga after (L-R) Heidi El Tabakh, Leylah Fernandez, Rebecca Marino, Marina Stakusic, Eugenie Bouchard and Gabriela Dabrowski beat Italy in last year’s Finals in Seville, Spain.© Matt McNulty/Getty Images for ITF
2024 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals team nominations
Australia Olivia Gadecki Daria Saville Ajla Tomljanovic Ellen Perez Captain: Samantha Stosur
Canada Leylah Fernandez Marina Stakusic Rebecca Marino Bianca Andreescu Gabriela Dabrowski Captain: Heidi El Tabakh
Czechia Linda Noskova Katerina Siniakova Marie Bouzkova Karolina Muchova Captain: Petr Pala
Great Britain Katie Boulter Emma Raducanu Harriet Dart Heather Watson Olivia Nicholls Captain: Anne Keothavong
Germany Tatjana Maria Jule Niemeier Laura Siegemund Eva Lys Captain: Rainer Schüttler
Italy Jasmine Paolini Elisabetta Cocciaretto Martina Trevisan Lucia Bronzetti Sara Errani Captain: Tathiana Garbin
Team USA qualified for the Billie Jean King Cup finals in April against Belgium© Rich Storry/Getty Images for ITF
Japan Moyuka Uchijima Naomi Osaka Nao Hibino Eri Hozumi Shuko Aoyama Captain: Ai Sugiyama
Poland Magdalena Frech Magda Linette Maja Chwalinska Katarzyna Kawa Captain: Dawid Celt
Romania Jaqueline Adina Cristian Ana Bogdan Elena Gabriela Ruse Alexia Anca Todoni Monica Niculescu Captain: Horia Tecau
Slovakia Anna Karolina Schmiedlova Rebecca Sramkova Viktoria Hruncakova Renata Jamrichova Tereza Mihalikova Captain: Matej Liptak
Spain Paula Badosa Gibert Jessica Bouzas Maneiro Cristina Bucsa Nuria Parrizas Diaz Sara Sorribes Tormo Captain: Anabel Medina Garrigues
USA Jessica Pegula Danielle Collins Caroline Dolehide Taylor Townsend Peyton Stearns Captain: Lindsay Davenport
