Defending Champions Italy will face Japan at home ground for the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers match, which is set to begin in April 2026. A total of 14 nations will contest in the event, among which only seven will move ahead for the Finals to be hosted in China in September. Meanwhile, the losing nations will then compete in the playoffs scheduled for November.
In the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini stood on the winning side after defeating Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. Meanwhile, the United States, the 2025 runners-up, will travel to Belgium, while the 11-time champions Czech Republic, will face the 2022 champion, Switzerland. Also included in the list is Britain going against Australia, Kazakhstan to host Canada, Spain to take Slovenia, and Poland to compete with Ukraine.
The qualifiers are scheduled to be held on April 10 to 11 and will be played in a knockout format. On day one, the tie match will consist of two singles matches, followed by a doubles rubber and two reverse singles on day two.
Great Britain and Australia have previously met on 12 occasions. In the head-to-head score, Australia is leading by 8-3 over Britain. During the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals, Australia defeated Britain in a hard-fought victory. The Australian duo of Storm Sanders and Samantha Stosur edged over the pair of Alicia Barnett and Olivia Nicholls by sets of 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (5-7), and 10-6, making their entry into the finals. Meanwhile, Britain has made three semi-final appearances in the tennis World Cups in the past four seasons.
In the last season of the tournament, Britain defeated Germany and the Netherlands to qualify for the finals, where they faced Japan, whom they defeated in the quarter-finals. They, however, lost their semi-finals match against the USA by 0-2 despite of strong performances showcased from Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal. The two went against WTA top 20 singles players like Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.
This season, Britain aims to qualify for the finals of the event, its first appearance since 1981. They are currently placed in No. 3 of the world team rankings as per the list released by the Billie Jean King Cup national rankings.
2026 Billie Jean King Cup matchups
- Italy vs. Jalan
- USA vs. Belgium
- Great Britain vs. Australia
- Canada vs. Kazakhstan
- Spain vs. Slovenia
- Czechia vs. Switzerland
- Poland vs. Ukraine
