Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2026: Which teams are competing?

Belgium 

• Billie Jean King ranking: 12
• Best result: Champions (2001)
• 2025 result: Play-Offs - Qualified
• Captain: Wim Fissette
• Team: Greet Minnen, Hanne Vandewinkel, Magali Kempen and Jeline Vandromme 

Belgium pulled off the upset of the Qualifiers – knocking out 18-time champions USA in an historic home tie. 

Hanne Vandewinkel, Elise Mertens and Greet Minnen brought home the victory for the Belgians, and while Mertens is set to miss the Finals, this is a team not to be underestimated. 

Minnen is a former world No.59, who won her first WTA 125 title last year at the Lexus Birmingham Open and has previously reached the women’s doubles quarter-finals at Roland Garros. 

They will start against last year’s semi-finalists Ukraine in the quarter-finals and will hope to continue their run of underdog victories. 

China, P.R 

• Billie Jean King ranking: 13
• Best result: Semi-final (2008)
• 2025 result: Quarter-final
• Captain: Jie Zheng
• Team: Qinwen Zheng, Xiyu Wang, Shuai Zhang, Hanyu Guo and Xinyu Jiang 

Host nation China have been dealt a tough task in quarter-finals, facing defending champions Italy for the second year in a row. 

However, this is a Chinese team full of quality, ready to challenge the six-time former winners. Most notably 2024 Olympic gold medalist who recently made the quarter-finals of the US Open, defeating Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek. 

Not to mention two top 20 doubles stars in Shuai Zhang and Hanyu Guo. Zhang won the Australian Open at the start of this year with Belgium’s Mertens and is a three-time Grand Slam champion. 

Xinyu Wang also reached her best singles ranking of world No.30 at the start of the year and has made the fourth round at three of the four Grand Slams across her career. 

Could this be the year that they go one better than their best semi-final result 18 years ago? 

Czechia 

• Billie Jean King ranking: 5
• Best result: Champions (1975, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018)
• 2025 result: Play-offs – Qualified  
• Captain: Barbora Strycova
• Team: Karolina Muchova, Linda Noskova, Marie Bouzkova and Katerina Siniakova 

As far as line-ups go, the Czechia team is up there as one of, if not the best on paper. The team will be headed up by Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and runner-up Karolina Muchova – both ranking inside the WTA top-10 this season. 

Two-time WTA singles and Cincinnati Open doubles champion Marie Bouzkova will also play a big role in the squad, alongside doubles world No.1 and recent US Open winner, Katerina Siniakova. 

Czechia know what it takes to win the Billie Jean King Cup trophy, lifting the title six times in eight years between 2011-2018, but haven’t clinched silverware in eight years.  

They begin their campaign against Great Britain on Tuesday 22 September. 

Great Britain 

• Billie Jean King ranking: 2
• Best result: Runners-up (1967, 1971, 1972 and 1981)
• 2025 result: Semi-finals
• Captain: Anne Keothavong
• Team: Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart, Sonay Kartal, Mika Stojsavljevic and Jodie Burrage 

The Brits have been one of the most consistently strong teams at the Billie Jean King Cup in recent years, making three semi-finals in the last four competitions. 

Captain Anne Keothavong’s side produced a brilliant performance to beat Australia in Melbourne earlier this year and will be hoping to cause another upset against Czechia in the quarter-finals. 

Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart have both shown over the years that they play arguably their best tennis when representing their country and will need to rise to the occasion once more. 

Sonay Kartal had an impressive first season competing in the Billie Jean King Cup last year, winning three of four matches, Mika Stojsavljevic shone on her debut in Australia and Jodie Burrage is developing a knack for deciding doubles victories. 

Italy 

• Billie Jean King ranking: 1
• Best result: Champions (2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2024 and 2025)
• 2025 result: Champions
• Captain: Tathiana Garbin
• Team: Jasmine Paolini, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Lucia Bronzetti, Sara Errani and Trya Caterina Grant 

Italy are back-to-back reigning Billie Jean King Cup champions and will be favourites to complete the hat-trick this year in Shenzhen. 

Led by former Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini, the Italian team is packed with experience and know how to perform on the biggest stage for their country. 

Sara Errani is one of the most successful doubles players of the last 15 years – winning six women’s doubles and four mixed doubles Grand Slams, as well as winning the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics with Paolini. 

Undefeated since the 2023 final against Canada, they will be the team to beat – starting off with a quarter-final against hosts China. 

Kazakhstan

• Billie Jean King ranking:
• Best result:
• 2025 result: Quarter-final
• Captain: Yuriy Schukin  
• Team: Elena Rybakina, Yulia Puntintseva, Zhibek Kulambayeva, Sonja Zhiyenbayeva and Anna Danilina 

Kazakhstan will head to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals with new WTA world No.1 Elena Rybakina leading the charge. 

Rybakina recently won the US Open women’s singles title for the first time in her career, adding to her Australian Open trophy in January and the Wimbledon crown in 2022. 

Having the in-form star of the WTA Tour this season alongside the quality and experience of Yulia Putintseva and Anna Danilina, Kazakhstan will be hoping to push for their first-ever Billie Jean King Cup title. 

Spain 

• Billie Jean King ranking: 4 
• Best result: Champions (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998) 
• 2025 result: Quarter-finals 
• Captain: Carla Suarez Navarro 
• Team: Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Cristina Bucsa, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Marina Bassols Ribera and Kaitlin Quevedo 

Spain arrive in the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup Finals looking to build on an impressive record of consistency in the competition. Carla Suarez Navarro's side secured their place in Shenzhen with a 3-1 victory over Slovenia in April's Qualifiers, extending Spain's run of reaching every Finals since the current format was introduced in 2021.  

Cristina Bucsa has been the most in-form player this season, reaching a career-high world No.30 in singles after winning the WTA 500 Merida title. She is also the world No.16 in doubles. 

Sara Sorribes Tormo brings invaluable team experience and doubles pedigree, while Jessica Bouzas Maneiro remains a key singles option.  

Ukraine 

• Billie Jean King ranking: 3 
• Best result: Semi-finals (2025) 
• 2025 result: Semi-final 
• Captain: Illya Marchenko 
• Team: Marta Kostyuk, Elina Svitolina, Dayana Yastremski, Oleksandra Olinykova and Lyudmyla Kichenok 

The Ukrainian team comes into this year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals with their sights set on a first title. 

They have two of the top players from the WTA Tour this season in Marta Kostyuk, who won the Madrid Open and made the semi-finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, as well as Australian Open semi-finalist Elina Svitolina. 

With a one-two punch to rival any nation, and experience and depth throughout the rest of the squad, watch out for a title challenge from Ukraine.