In this guide
Three matches form one country-versus-country tieSingles and doubles use different deciding structuresThe group route is city-specificProgramme titles need the tie and rubberThe United Cup is a mixed national-team tennis competition. A tie between countries contains one men’s singles match, one women’s singles match and one mixed doubles match. Tie and match therefore describe different levels of the contest.
For the 2026 edition, eighteen countries began in six groups of three, split between Perth and Sydney. Group winners and the best runner-up in each city advanced to the quarter-finals.
Three matches form one country-versus-country tie
The singles matches feature the team’s top-ranked singles players under the published format. The mixed doubles adds a pair-based contest. Winning a singles match contributes to the country’s tie result; it does not automatically mean the country has won the whole tie.
Singles and doubles use different deciding structures
Singles is best of three tie-break sets. Mixed doubles uses two tie-break sets followed, at one set all, by a ten-point match tie-break. The mixed match’s third scoring unit is therefore not an ordinary full deciding set.
The group route is city-specific
Each city has three groups of three. Its three group winners and one best runner-up form four quarter-finalists. The best-runner-up comparison is not simply one global place across all six groups.
| Level | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Match | One singles or mixed doubles contest |
| Tie | Three matches between two countries |
| Group | Three countries in round-robin play |
| 2026 quarter-final field | Four qualifiers from each city |
Programme titles need the tie and rubber
An entry may cover the full country tie or only one of its matches. Keep men’s singles, women’s singles or mixed doubles beside the player names when the programme is match-specific. A score of 1–1 between countries is a tie score, not a one-set-all score within the match currently on court.