Team Australia’s Alex de Minaur and Maya Joint and Great Britain’s Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu have made early commitments to the 2026 United Cup.
They join Team Poland’s world number 2s Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz as the first three teams confirmed for the fourth edition of the innovative mixed-team tennis event in Perth and Sydney from January 2 to 11.
Home favorite De Minaur, the 26-year-old Sydneysider who this week returned to a career PIF ATP ranking of No. 6, will lead the Australian team in his fourth appearance at the event.
“The United Cup will be a lot of fun,” said De Minaur. “The event is unique and offers fans something completely different. They are happy to embrace the format and root for the Aussies at home.
“The energy at the United Cup is electric. It’s fun to be on the pitch, but also on the bench, being loud and boisterous and supporting each other.”
Joint, Australia’s top-ranked women’s singles player, will feature alongside De Minaur in her first appearance for Team Australia. The 19-year-old claimed her first two WTA singles titles in 2025 and has risen from number 730 to number 32 in the world rankings in two years.
British No. 1 Draper and Raducanu will also debut at the United Cup in 2026. Draper, who climbed to a PIF ATP ranking of No. 4 in June after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells, is looking forward to starting the new tennis season at the United Cup.
“I’m excited to get back on the field and take part in the United Cup. I will be looking forward to the draw to see if Team GB will play in Perth or Sydney,” Draper said. “I haven’t been there yet either, so it will be fun to compete in a brand new city in Australia.”
“I am honored to make my United Cup debut in January,” said US Open 2021 champion Raducanu. “It’s a unique opportunity and a week to play for Team GB with my teammates. It’s great to be able to experience a new format on tour, represent my country and spend a few extra weeks in Australia.”
United Cup tournament director Stephen Farrow expects the fierce rivalry between Australia and Great Britain to reignite this summer when they meet again in 2026.
“We are pleased that Alex de Minaur and Maya Joint have committed early to Team Australia at the United Cup,” said Farrow. “Also seeing British No. 1s Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu for the first time will bring new star power to the tournament.
“In 2025, Team Great Britain reached the quarter-finals after coming through a hard-fought group stage in Sydney. They started with a strong 2-1 win over Argentina and, despite a narrow defeat to Australia in their final group match, moved by a solid margin in a three-way tie to the top of Group F and booked their place in the knockout rounds.
“With the level of talent and intensity we saw last year, fans can expect even more drama and world-class tennis this summer. Don’t miss the action, it will be one of the most exciting United Cups yet,” Farrow added.
The official draw for the tournament will take place on Monday, November 17.
Quarter-finals, semi-finals and final tickets are available now for sale. Tickets for the group stage go on sale on Wednesday, November 19.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
United Cup format and qualification
- The fourth edition of United Cup will be held from Friday, January 2 to Sunday, January 11, 2026
- The group stage in Perth (RAC Arena) runs from Friday January 2 to Tuesday January 6. The quarter-finals will be held in Perth on Wednesday, January 7
- The group stage in Sydney (Ken Rosewall Arena) runs from Saturday January 3 to Wednesday January 7. The quarter-finals in Sydney will be held on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 January
- Sydney hosts two semi-finals on Saturday January 10, followed by the United Cup final from 5.30pm on Sunday January 11
- Teams traveling from Perth to Sydney will have a travel and rest day before their semi-final matches
- Entry is conditional on players committing to the event before the tournament’s entry deadline of November 11
- At the entry deadline, ten countries will qualify for the United Cup through the five highest-ranked men and five highest-ranked women, based on their PIF ATP and WTA rankings.
- Eight teams qualify based on the best combined rankings of the highest-ranked men’s and women’s players from the same country
- On the second qualifying date on November 17, if there is a player in the Top 10 (maximum 1 ATP and 1 WTA player) of the last PIF ATP or WTA rankings who is registered and has an eligible team, but has not been accepted based on his individual ATP/WTA rankings, he will be accepted and his team will replace the lowest ranked team with a combined ranking.
- Participation is guaranteed for Australia, directly via ranking or as a wildcard
- Each city will host nine teams each: three groups of three countries, competing in a round robin format
- Each tie consists of a men’s singles and a women’s singles match featuring the No. 1 ranked singles players, and a mixed doubles match.
- Singles matches are best-of-three tiebreak sets. Mixed doubles matches are two tiebreak sets with a deciding match tiebreak (10 points) in one set
- Group winners in each city will advance to the quarter-finals, with a quarter-final spot in each city awarded to the best runners-up in that city
- The winners will advance to the semi-finals and final to be played in Sydney
Tickets (now for sale)
- Tickets for the United Cup quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in Sydney are now on sale via Ticketmaster with tickets starting from $50
- Tickets for the United Cup quarter-finals in Perth are now on sale via Ticketek with tickets starting from $43
- Tickets for the United Cup group stage go on sale on Wednesday, November 19. Sydney group stage tickets from $40, Perth group stage tickets from $43
For more information, visit UnitedCup.com and follow @UnitedCupTennis on social media.
#Minaur #Draper #Raducanu #join #early #entry #United #Cup