Billie Jean King Cup facts for kids
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| Sport | Tennis |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1963 |
| No. of teams | 8 (World Group) 99 (total 2016) |
| Countries | ITF member nations |
| Most recent champion(s) |
 Italy (5th title) |
| Most titles |  United States (18 titles) |
The Billie Jean King Cup, also known as the BJK Cup, is the most important international team competition for women's tennis. It's like the World Cup, but for tennis! The tournament started in 1963 as the Federation Cup to celebrate the 50th birthday of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
In 1995, the name was shortened to the Fed Cup. Then, in 2020, it was renamed to honor Billie Jean King, a famous American tennis player who was once ranked number one in the world. The BJK Cup is the largest yearly international team event for women in any sport, with many countries competing.
The men's version of this tournament is the Davis Cup. Only a few countries—the Czech Republic, Australia, Russia, Italy, and the United States—have won both the BJK Cup and the Davis Cup in the same year.
Contents
History
The idea for a women's team tennis tournament came from Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman in 1919. Her idea wasn't used at first, but she didn't give up. In 1923, she started the Wightman Cup, a competition between the United States and Great Britain.
Later, Nell Hopman, the wife of famous Australian Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman, pushed for a worldwide women's tournament. In 1962, a woman named Mary Hardwick Hare showed the ITF that there was a lot of support for the idea.
Finally, in 1963, the ITF created the Federation Cup. It was a huge success right from the start. The first tournament was held in London, and 16 countries participated. Top players like Billie Jean King and Margaret Smith were proud to play for their countries. The United States won the very first cup, but Australia dominated the early years.
At first, there was no prize money, and teams had to pay their own way. When companies started sponsoring the event, it grew quickly. By 1994, 73 nations were competing.
In 1995, the tournament's name was changed to the Fed Cup. The format also changed to be more like the Davis Cup, where teams play matches in their home countries. This allowed fans to cheer for their national teams at home. The format has been updated several times since then to keep the competition exciting.
How the Tournament Works
Every year, many countries enter the BJK Cup, but only the best 16 teams get to compete in the top levels, called World Group I and World Group II.
Teams play against each other in a "tie," which is a series of five matches (four singles and one doubles). The country that wins at least three matches wins the tie.
Here is a simple look at the different levels:
- World Group I: This is the top level with the best 8 teams. The winner of this group becomes the BJK Cup champion.
- World Group II: The next 8 teams compete here. Winners can get promoted to World Group I, while losers might be moved down.
- Zonal Groups: Teams that are not in the World Groups play in regional competitions (Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe/Africa). Teams can be promoted from these groups to the World Group II level.
This system of promotion and relegation means that every country has a chance to work its way up to the top and become the world champion.
Current Structure
This is how the groups have been set up since 2016.
| Level | Group(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | World Group I 8 countries |
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| World Group I Playoff 4 countries from World Group I + 4 countries from World Group II |
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| 2 | World Group II 8 countries |
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| World Group II Playoff 4 countries from World Group II + 2 countries from Group One Euro/African Zone |
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| 3 | Group One American Zone 8 countries |
Group One Euro/African Zone 15 countries |
Group One Asia/Oceania Zone 7 countries |
| 4 | Group Two American Zone 11 countries |
Group Two Euro/African Zone 7 countries |
Group Two Asia/Oceania Zone 15 countries |
| 5 | Group Three Euro/African Zone 16 countries |
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Records and Fun Facts
Team Records
- Most Wins in a Row: The United States team won the cup 7 times in a row from 1976 to 1982.
- Most Finals in a Row:
Australia made it to the final 8 times in a row from 1973 to 1980.
Individual Records
- Youngest Player: Denise Panagopoulou from Greece played when she was only 12 years and 360 days old. Today, players must be at least 14.
- Oldest Player: Gill Butterfield from Bermuda played at the age of 52 years and 162 days.
- Most Matches Won: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario from Spain has won 72 matches in her BJK Cup career.
- Longest Match: In 2016, a match between Richèl Hogenkamp of the Netherlands and Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia lasted for 4 hours.
- Most Successful Captain: Petr Pála has led the Czech Republic to 6 titles.
Past Champions
Here is a list of all the countries that have won the BJK Cup and the year they won.
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Finals Venue (surface) | City | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federation Cup | ||||||
| 1963 | United States (1) |
2–1 | Australia (1) |
Queen's Club (G) | London |  United Kingdom |
| 1964 | Australia (1) |
2–1 | United States (1) |
Germantown Cricket Club (G) | Philadelphia | United States |
| 1965 | Australia (2) |
2–1 | United States (2) |
Kooyong Club (G) | Melbourne | Australia |
| 1966 | United States (2) |
3–0 |  West Germany (1) |
Turin Press Sporting Club (C) | Turin | Italy |
| 1967 | United States (3) |
2–0 | Great Britain (1) |
Blau-Weiss T.C. (C) | West Berlin | West Germany |
| 1968 | Australia (3) |
3–0 |  Netherlands (1) |
Stade Roland Garros (C) | Paris |  France |
| 1969 | United States (4) |
2–1 | Australia (2) |
Athens Tennis Club (C) | Athens |  Greece |
| 1970 | Australia (4) |
3–0 | West Germany (2) |
Freiburg T.C. (C) | Freiburg | West Germany |
| 1971 | Australia (5) |
3–0 | Great Britain (2) |
Royal King's Park T.C. (G) | Perth | Australia |
| 1972 |  South Africa (1) |
2–1 | Great Britain (3) |
Ellis Park (H) | Johannesburg | South Africa |
| 1973 | Australia (6) |
3–0 | South Africa (1) |
Bad Homburg T.C. (C) | Bad Homburg | West Germany |
| 1974 | Australia (7) |
2–1 | United States (3) |
Naples T.C. (C) | Naples | Italy |
| 1975 |  Czechoslovakia (1) |
3–0 | Australia (3) |
Aixoise C.C. (C) | Aix-en-Provence | France |
| 1976 | United States (5) |
2–1 | Australia (4) |
The Spectrum (ICp) | Philadelphia | United States |
| 1977 | United States (6) |
2–1 | Australia (5) |
Devonshire Park (G) | Eastbourne | United Kingdom |
| 1978 | United States (7) |
2–1 | Australia (6) |
Kooyong Club (G) | Melbourne | Australia |
| 1979 | United States (8) |
3–0 | Australia (7) |
RSHE Club Campo (C) | Madrid |  Spain |
| 1980 | United States (9) |
3–0 | Australia (8) |
Rot-Weiss Tennis Club (C) | West Berlin | West Germany |
| 1981 | United States (10) |
3–0 | Great Britain (4) |
Tamagawa-en Racquet Club (C) | Tokyo |  Japan |
| 1982 | United States (11) |
3–0 | West Germany (3) |
Decathlon Club (H) | Santa Clara | United States |
| 1983 | Czechoslovakia (2) |
2–1 | West Germany (4) |
Albisguetli T.C. (C) | Zürich |  Switzerland |
| 1984 | Czechoslovakia (3) |
2–1 | Australia (9) |
Pinheiros Sports Club (C) | São Paulo |  Brazil |
| 1985 | Czechoslovakia (4) |
2–1 | United States (4) |
Nagoya Green T.C. (H) | Nagoya | Japan |
| 1986 | United States (12) |
3–0 | Czechoslovakia (1) |
Štvanice Stadium (C) | Prague | Czechoslovakia |
| 1987 | West Germany (1) |
2–1 | United States (5) |
Hollyburn C.C. (H) | Vancouver |  Canada |
| 1988 | Czechoslovakia (5) |
2–1 |  Soviet Union (1) |
Flinders Park (H) | Melbourne | Australia |
| 1989 | United States (13) |
3–0 |  Spain (1) |
Ariake Forest Park Centre (H) | Tokyo | Japan |
| 1990 | United States (14) |
2–1 | Soviet Union (2) |
Peachtree W.O.T. (H) | Atlanta | United States |
| 1991 | Spain (1) |
2–1 | United States (6) |
Nottingham Tennis Centre (H) | Nottingham | United Kingdom |
| 1992 | Germany (2) |
2–1 | Spain (2) |
Waldstadion T.C. (C) | Frankfurt | Germany |
| 1993 | Spain (2) |
3–0 | Australia (10) |
Waldstadion T.C. (C) | Frankfurt | Germany |
| 1994 | Spain (3) |
3–0 | United States (7) |
Waldstadion T.C. (C) | Frankfurt | Germany |
| Fed Cup | ||||||
| 1995 | Spain (4) |
3–2 | United States (8) |
Valencia T.C. (C) | Valencia | Spain |
| 1996 | United States (15) |
5–0 | Spain (3) |
Atlantic City Convention Center (ICp) | Atlantic City | United States |
| 1997 | France (1) |
4–1 | Netherlands (2) |
Brabant Hall (ICp) | Den Bosch | Netherlands |
| 1998 | Spain (5) |
3–2 |  Switzerland (1) |
Palexpo Hall (IH) | Geneva | Switzerland |
| 1999 | United States (16) |
4–1 |  Russia (3) |
Taube Tennis Stadium (H) | Stanford | United States |
| 2000 | United States (17) |
5–0 | Spain (4) |
Mandalay Bay Events Center (ICp) | Las Vegas | United States |
| 2001 |  Belgium (1) |
2–1 | Russia (4) |
Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I (IC) | Madrid | Spain |
| 2002 |  Slovakia (1) |
3–1 | Spain (5) |
Palacio de Congresos (IH) | Gran Canaria | Spain |
| 2003 | France (2) |
4–1 | United States (9) |
Olympic Stadium (ICp) | Moscow | Russia |
| 2004 | Russia (1) |
3–2 | France (1) |
Ice Stadium Krylatskoe (ICp) | Moscow | Russia |
| 2005 | Russia (2) |
3–2 | France (2) |
Court Philippe Chatrier (C) | Paris | France |
| 2006 | Italy (1) |
3–2 | Belgium (1) |
Spiroudome (IH) | Charleroi | Belgium |
| 2007 | Russia (3) |
4–0 | Italy (1) |
Luzhniki Palace of Sports (IH) | Moscow | Russia |
| 2008 | Russia (4) |
4–0 | Spain (6) |
Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (C) | Madrid | Spain |
| 2009 | Italy (2) |
4–0 | United States (10) |
Circolo del Tennis (C) | Reggio Calabria | Italy |
| 2010 | Italy (3) |
3–1 | United States (11) |
San Diego Sports Arena (IH) | San Diego | United States |
| 2011 | Czech Republic (6) |
3–2 | Russia (5) |
Olympic Stadium (IH) | Moscow | Russia |
| 2012 | Czech Republic (7) |
3–1 |  Serbia (1) |
O2 Arena (IH) | Prague | Czech Republic |
| 2013 | Italy (4) |
4–0 | Russia (6) |
Tennis Club Cagliari (C) | Cagliari | Italy |
| 2014 | Czech Republic (8) |
3–1 | Germany (5) |
O2 Arena (IH) | Prague | Czech Republic |
| 2015 | Czech Republic (9) |
3–2 | Russia (7) |
O2 Arena (IH) | Prague | Czech Republic |
| 2016 | Czech Republic (10) |
3–2 | France (3) |
Rhénus Sport (IH) | Strasbourg | France |
| 2017 | United States (18) |
3–2 |  Belarus (1) |
Čyžoŭka-Arena (IH) | Minsk | Belarus |
| 2018 | Czech Republic (11) |
3–0 | United States (12) |
O2 Arena (IH) | Prague | Czech Republic |
| 2019 | France (3) |
3–2 | Australia (11) |
RAC Arena (H) | Perth | Australia |
| Billie Jean King Cup | ||||||
| 2020–21 |  RTF (5) |
2–0 | Switzerland (2) |
O2 Arena (IH) | Prague | Czech Republic |
| 2022 | Switzerland (1) |
2–0 | Australia (12) |
Emirates Arena (IH) | Glasgow | United Kingdom |
| 2023 | Canada (1) |
2–0 | Italy (2) |
Estadio de La Cartuja (IH) | Seville | Spain |
| 2024 | Italy (5) |
2–0 | Slovakia (1) |
Martin Carpena Arena (IH) | Málaga | Spain |
| 2025 | – | Shenzhen |  China |
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| 2026 | – | Shenzhen | China |
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| 2027 | – | Shenzhen | China |
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Current Rankings
These are the top 20 national teams in the world as of December 3, 2024. The rankings change based on how well teams perform in the BJK Cup.
| ITF Billie Jean King Cup Nations Ranking, as of 3 December 2024[update] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| # | Nation | Points | Move† |
| 1 | Italy |
1,228.75 |  2 |
| 2 | Canada |
1,066.25 |  1 |
| 3 | Czech Republic |
1,028.75 | 1 |
| 4 | Slovakia |
1020.00 | 6 |
| 5 | Australia |
973.75 | 1 |
| 6 |  Poland |
961.25 | 3 |
| 7 | Great Britain |
955.00 | 5 |
| 8 | Switzerland |
940.00 | 1 |
| 9 | United States |
935.00 | 4 |
| 10 | Spain |
922.50 | 4 |
| 11 | Germany |
907.50 | 3 |
| 12 |  Kazakhstan |
817.50 | 1 |
| 13 |  Romania |
816.25 | 2 |
| 14 | Japan |
786.25 | 1 |
| 15 | France |
778.75 | 1 |
| 16 |  Slovenia |
703.75 |  |
| 17 | Netherlands |
703.25 | 4 |
| 18 | Belgium |
697.50 | 1 |
| 19 |  Ukraine |
687.50 | 1 |
| 20 |  Brazil |
678.75 | 1 |
†Change since previous ranking update
See also
In Spanish: Copa Billie Jean King para niños
- Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup
- International Tennis Federation
- Davis Cup
- Hopman Cup
- Wightman Cup
- United Cup
