United Cup facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United Cup |
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| Location | Brisbane, Perth, Sydney Australia |
| Court type | Hard / outdoors |
| Draw | 18 teams |
| Prize money | US$11,170,000 (2025) |
| Current champion |  United States |
| Website | UnitedCup.com |
The United Cup is an exciting international tennis competition. It features teams made up of both male and female players from 18 different countries. The games are played on hard courts. The first United Cup happened in December 2022 and January 2023. This big event takes place in several Australian cities over 11 days. It's a great way to kick off the tennis season before the famous Australian Open.
Contents
How the United Cup Started
The United Cup was announced on August 7, 2022. It replaced the ATP Cup, which was a men's team tournament. The ATP Cup started in 2020 but had problems with not many people watching and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new United Cup is a lot like the old Hopman Cup. That tournament used to be played in Perth from 1989 to 2019. The United Cup is special because it's the first mixed-gender team event. Players can earn points for both their ATP rankings (for men) and WTA rankings (for women). Winning players can get up to 500 points!
How the Tournament Works
Playing the Games
The first part of the competition is called the group phase. There are six groups, and each group has three countries. The teams in each group play against each other in a round-robin style. This means every team plays every other team in their group. In each city, one group plays in the morning, and another plays in the evening.
In 2023, the team that won its group in each city played in a "city final." The three winners of these city finals went to the semifinals. One more team, the best losing team, also got a spot in the semifinals. For the 2024 tournament, the six group winners and the two best second-place teams from all cities moved on to the quarterfinals.
After the group games, there's a day for teams to travel. Then, the semifinals and the final matches are all played in Sydney.
In 2023, each match between two countries (called a "tie") had five games. These included two men's singles matches, two women's singles matches, and one mixed doubles match. If one team won enough games early to decide the tie, the mixed doubles match might not be played. For the 2024 tournament, each tie has only three matches: one men's singles, one women's singles, and one mixed doubles. Also, in 2024, all three matches in a tie are played on the same day.
How Teams Qualify
A total of 18 countries get to play in the United Cup. Here's how they qualify:
- Six countries qualify based on the ATP ranking of their top male singles player.
- Six countries qualify based on the WTA ranking of their top female singles player.
- The last six countries qualify based on the combined rankings of their top male and female players.
Australia, as the host country, is always guaranteed a spot. This happens if they don't qualify through the ranking system on their own.
In 2023, each team had three singles players and one doubles player for both men and women. For 2024, each team has two singles players and one doubles player for both men and women.
United Cup Locations
| Image | Name | Opened | Capacity | Location | Events | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Rafter Arena | 2009 | 5,500 | Brisbane | 2023 | ||
| RAC Arena | 2012 | 15,500 | Perth | 2023–present | ||
| Ken Rosewall Arena | 1999 | 10,500 | Sydney | 2023–present |
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Past Winners
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | United States |
 Italy |
4–0 |
| 2024 |  Germany |
 Poland |
2–1 |
| 2025 | United States |
Poland |
2–0 |
Team Performance Over Time
| Country | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Overall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rnd | W–L | Rnd | W–L | Rnd | W–L | App | W–L | |
 Argentina |
RR | 0–2 | – | – | RR | 1–1 | 2 | 1–3 |
 Australia |
RR | 1–1 | SF | 2–2 | RR | 1–1 | 3 | 4–4 |
 Belgium |
RR | 0–2 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0–2 |
 Brazil |
RR | 1–1 | RR | 0–2 | RR | 0–2 | 3 | 1–5 |
 Bulgaria |
RR | 1–1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1–1 |
 Canada |
– | – | RR | 1–1 | RR | 1–1 | 2 | 2–2 |
 Chile |
– | – | RR | 1–1 | – | – | 1 | 1–1 |
 China |
– | – | QF | 1–2 | QF | 1–2 | 2 | 2–4 |
 Croatia |
HF | 2–1 | RR | 1–1 | RR | 0–2 | 3 | 3–4 |
 Czech Republic |
RR | 1–1 | RR | 0–2 | SF | 2–2 | 3 | 3–5 |
 France |
RR | 1–1 | SF | 3–1 | RR | 0–2 | 3 | 4–4 |
| Germany |
RR | 0–2 | W | 4–1 | QF | 2–1 | 3 | 6–4 |
 Great Britain |
HF | 2–1 | RR | 1–1 | QF | 1–2 | 3 | 4–4 |
 Greece |
SF | 3–1 | QF | 1–2 | RR | 1–1 | 3 | 5–4 |
| Italy |
F | 3–2 | RR | 0–2 | QF | 2–1 | 3 | 5–5 |
 Kazakhstan |
RR | 0–2 | – | – | SF | 3–1 | 2 | 3–3 |
 Netherlands |
– | – | RR | 1–1 | – | – | 1 | 1–1 |
 Norway |
RR | 0–2 | QF | 1–2 | RR | 0–2 | 3 | 1–6 |
| Poland |
SF | 3–1 | F | 4–1 | F | 4–1 | 3 | 11–3 |
 Serbia |
– | – | QF | 2–1 | – | – | 1 | 2–1 |
 Spain |
RR | 0–2 | RR | 1–1 | RR | 0–2 | 3 | 1–5 |
 Switzerland |
RR | 1–1 | – | – | RR | 1–1 | 2 | 2–2 |
| United States |
W | 5–0 | RR | 1–1 | W | 5–0 | 3 | 11–1 |
More About Tennis
In Spanish: United Cup para niños
- ATP Cup
- Billie Jean King Cup
- Davis Cup
- Hopman Cup
