Forget the New Year’s Day sleep-in! Grand Slam champions Coco Gauff, Linda Nosková and Emma Raducanu will represent their countries at United Cup 2027, kicking off the Australian summer of tennis in Perth and Sydney on 1 January.
The competing nations, players and playing schedule have been revealed today for the unique 10-day blockbuster mixed-team competition played exclusively on Australian soil. The world’s best players will team up to represent their countries through men’s and women’s singles and mixed doubles matches in pursuit of glory.
Superstars Gauff, Noskova and Raducanu are joined by three additional 2026 Grand Slam finalists: United States’ big-serving US Open finalist Ben Shelton, Italy’s explosive ball-striking Roland Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli and Poland’s electrifying Roland Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska.
“I can’t wait to represent Team USA again at the United Cup,” world No.4 Gauff said. “There is such an incredible atmosphere that comes with playing at the event. We’re coming back with one goal – to bring the trophy home for the USA once again.”
Forming part of a strong field, 12 of the world’s top-20 ranked players – six men and six women – will go head-to-head. French standout Arthur Fils, Spain’s rising star Rafael Jodar, Canada’s explosive Felix Auger-Aliassime, Czech powerhouse Jiri Lehecka, decorated Belgian Elise Mertens, Switzerland's Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic and Canadian young-gun Victoria Mboko round out the formidable group.
The field is further strengthened by several former top-10 players including Spain’s Paula Badosa, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, and Denmark’s Holger Rune.
Team Australia will be spearheaded by an exciting new wave of Australian tennis talent, power-hitting 22-year-old Talia Gibson and fearless Rinky Hijikata, who will both make their United Cup debuts.
In 2026, Gibson has surged up the rankings from outside the top 100 to become Australia’s top-ranked female, defeating five-top 20 players in the space of three weeks earlier this year.
“Being able to represent Australia at the United Cup is incredibly exciting,” Gibson said. “I can’t wait to go out there and give it absolutely everything we’ve got to claim the title for Team Australia.”
Following his stunning victory over Novak Djokovic, Hijikata joins Gibson on the team. His run to the ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinals in Paris last week marked a career-defining week for the 25-year-old, propelling him to a new career-high ranking.
“Putting on the green and gold is probably the biggest honour you can have as an Australian athlete and any chance you get to do that is special,” Hijikata said. “It's another chance to play in front of a home crowd and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Eighteen nations have been split into six groups of three, with nine teams competing in Perth and nine in Sydney, setting the stage for an action-packed start to the new season.
Perth’s line-up includes USA, Poland, Italy, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan. The tournament gets underway at RAC Arena on New Year’s Day, with group matches running from 1–5 January before the city hosts its quarterfinal on Wednesday 6 January.
Sydney’s line-up includes Australia, Great Britain, Spain, Greece, France, Belgium, Czechia, Hungary and Argentina. Ken Rosewall Arena welcomes the first group matches from 2 January, with the group stage wrapping up on 6 January. Quarterfinals follow on 7 and 8 January, before the tournament reaches its thrilling conclusion in the Harbour City, with both semifinals on Saturday 9 January and the final on Sunday 10 January.
Every tie features three best-of-three matches – a men’s singles, a women’s singles and a mixed doubles match – ensuring every player has a vital role to play. The three group winners in each city, along with the best-performing runner-up, will advance to the quarterfinals.
United Cup Tournament Director Stephen Farrow said the 2027 draw promises a spectacular start to the tennis season, bringing some of the world’s biggest stars to Perth and Sydney in pursuit of the United Cup title.
“Players genuinely love being part of the United Cup, it is absolutely electric,” he said. “The passion and intensity the players bring to the court also shows just how much representing their country and competing for the United Cup means to them. It’s also an ideal way to prepare for the Australian summer, get acclimatised to the conditions and build momentum for the season ahead.”
Western Australia's Premier and Tourism, Trade and Investment Minister the Hon. Roger Cook MLA said the United Cup will once again bring some of the world's best tennis players to Perth, giving Western Australians the chance to see elite international sport up close and kicking off another exciting summer of tennis.
"The tournament creates a fantastic atmosphere across our city over the holiday period, attracting visitors to WA and delivering benefits for local hotels, restaurants, bars and tourism operators,” Mr Cook said. "Securing major events like the United Cup is part of my Government's plan to diversify the economy, grow our tourism industry and support local jobs for Western Australians.”
NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said the United Cup puts Sydney on the world stage, bringing some of the biggest names in international tennis to the city and world-class sport up close.
“Major events like the United Cup are a key driver of NSW’s visitor economy, attracting international and interstate visitors, filling hotels, supporting local businesses and creating jobs,” he said. “They showcase everything Sydney has to offer and reinforce our reputation as one of the world’s great destinations for major international events.”
Tickets for all United Cup sessions are on sale via Ticketmaster in Sydney and Ticketek in Perth, with group stage tickets and finals tickets from $45.
Event Format
• The fifth edition of the United Cup will be held from Friday 1 January to Sunday 10 January 2027.
• The United Cup sees 18 countries, featuring up to three men and up to three women, compete side-by-side across Perth and Sydney during the first week of the tennis season.
• Each tie will comprise one men’s singles and one women’s singles match featuring the No.1 ranked singles players, and one mixed doubles match.
• Singles matches are best-of-three tie-break sets. Mixed doubles matches are two tie-break sets with a deciding match tie-break (10-point) at one set all.
• Each city will host nine teams each - three groups of three countries, competing in a round-robin format.
• Group winners in each city advance to the quarterfinals with one quarterfinal spot in each city awarded to the best runner up in that city.
• Winners will progress to the semifinals and final to be played in Sydney.
• The group stage in Perth (RAC Arena) runs from Friday 1 January to Tuesday 5 January The quarterfinals in Perth will be held on Wednesday 6 January.
• The group stage in Sydney (Ken Rosewall Arena) runs from Saturday 2 January to Wednesday 6 January. The quarterfinals in Sydney will be held across Thursday 7 and Friday 8 January.
• Sydney will host two semifinals on Saturday 9 January followed by the final of the United Cup from 5.30pm on Sunday 10 January.
• Teams travelling from Perth to Sydney have a travel day and rest day before their semifinal matches.
Team Qualification
• Participation is subject to players committing to the event by the tournament’s entry deadline of 9 November.
• At the entry deadline, ten countries will qualify for the United Cup via the five highest-ranked men and five highest-ranked women entered, based on their PIF ATP and WTA rankings.
• Eight teams will qualify according to the best combined ranking of the highest-ranked men’s and women’s players from the same country.
• At the second qualification dates of 16 November (WTA) and 23 November (ATP), if there is a player in the Top 10 (maximum 1 ATP and 1 WTA player) of the latest PIF ATP or WTA rankings, who has entered and has an eligible team but has not been accepted based on their individual ATP/WTA ranking, they will be accepted, and their team will replace the lowest ranked team with combined ranking.
• Australia is guaranteed entry, either directly via ranking or as a wildcard.
