Lleyton Hewitt, Tim Henman and Stan Wawrinka are among the high-profile names to join a star-studded line-up of past and current tennis stars to captain teams at the United Cup in 2026.

The fourth edition of the innovative mixed team competition will again open the global tennis season, with 18 countries set to compete under the guidance of some of the sport’s most respected names from Friday 2 January across Perth and Sydney. 

In Perth, three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka will act as a playing captain for Team Switzerland alongside world No.11 Belinda Bencic when they meet Italy and France. 

READ MORE: Paolini x Cobolli - Italian forces combine again at United Cup

Henman, who inspired a British tennis revival in the 1990s by becoming the first Briton to reach the men’s semifinals at Wimbledon in 25 years, will captain Team Great Britain, starring world No.10 Jack Draper and world No.29 Emma Raducanu in Group E. 

Former top-10 player Lucas Pouille will lead Team France with French No.1s Arthur Rinderknech and Lois Boisson in Group C.

Former Japanese player Go Soeda will guide Japan in their United Cup debut with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and 2019 Junior Wimbledon winner Shintaro Mochizuki in the same group as Great Britain and Greece.

In Sydney, home favourites Australia will be skippered by former world No.1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Hewitt in Group D. 

RELATED: Australia’s De Minaur and Joint a formidable pairing for host nation

Top-10 doubles player Gabriela Dabrowski will head up No.2 seeds Team Canada including world No.5 Felix Auger-Aliassime and teenage sensation Victoria Mboko. 

Rounding out the list are a number of father-son duos including Alexander Zverev Sr for Team Germany, Christian Ruud for Team Norway while Stefano Cobolli will steer Team Italy in the West.

The full roster for 2026 includes: