United Cup 2025: Dates, format, nations, players, groups, tickets for tennis tournament in Australia

The United Cup — the ATP Cup's successor — is returning for 2025.

National teams will be going head-to-head as some of the sport's biggest names compete in the mixed warm-up event ahead of the Australian Open. 

The Sporting News takes you through the key details.

MORE: Who won the United Cup last year?

When is the United Cup 2025? Schedule, dates, venues

Just like the previous edition, the upcoming United Cup tournament will be held in two Australian cities – Perth and Sydney.

The event will begin in late 2024 and is scheduled to finish in early 2025.

The action will kick off with the group stage at Perth's RAC Arena on December 27 before Sydney host their group stage matches from December 28. 

Quarter-finals are scheduled in Perth for January 1 and 2, while Sydney will host theirs on January 2 and 3.

Both semi-finals and the final will take place in Sydney on January 4 and 5.

United Cup Perth schedule

United Cup Sydney schedule

How does the United Cup work?

The United Cup is a mixed tennis tournament, played in a team competition format. 

Eighteen countries will take part in the 2025 event, with Sydney and Perth set to host nine teams each.

Countries will be placed into six groups of three before facing off in a round-robin format.

Each tie will comprise one men's singles, one women's singles and one mixed doubles match.

The three group winners in each city will progress to the quarterfinals, joined by the best runner-up. Sydney will then host both the semi-finals and final.

As a combined ATP-WTA event, a significant amount of prize money is expected to be on offer. Last year, AU$15 million was up for grabs, as well as 1000 combined rankings points.

How are countries selected for the United Cup?

Countries for the tournament are selected from the nations of the top five men's and women's players, according to ATP and WTA rankings.

The eight remaining teams then earn entry based on combined men's and women's rankings.

There is a second qualification phase added for 2025, though. If a new player enters the top 10 (maximum 1 ATP and 1 WTA player), their team, if eligible, will be accepted, with the lowest-ranked existing team making way.

United Cup 2025: Draw, groups, nations, players

All 18 teams for this year's tournament have been confirmed, with Croatia and Argentina the last two nations to qualify.

Notably, Coco Gauff will make her United Cup debut alongside Taylor Fritz for Team USA. 

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, China’s Zheng Qinwen and Norway’s Casper Ruud have all committed, while Aussie fan favourite Alex de Minaur will also be in action.

Perth

Group A

USA

Canada

Croatia

Group C

Greece

Kazakhstan

Spain

Group E

China

Germany

Brazil

Sydney

Group B

Poland

Czechia

Norway

Group D

Italy

France

Switzerland

Group F

Great Britain

Australia

Argentina

United Cup 2025: How to buy tickets

All tickets for Sydney are currently on sale via Ticketmaster.

Seats in Perth are also available on Ticketek.

What happened to the ATP Cup?

Replacing the Hopman Cup in 2020, the ATP Cup lasted just three years.

A men's-only tournament, it pitted nations together in a team competition format. 

Ultimately, the ATP Cup was replaced due to the increasing cooperation between the men's and women's tennis tours — the ATP and WTA. 

The significant prize pool for the United Cup reflects the backing mixed tournaments are receiving, as tennis prioritises efforts towards equality.