Tennis fever will soon hit Australia once more, as the curtain raises on the 2025 ATP and WTA Tours with the third edition of the United Cup.
An international tournament for 18 mixed-sex teams - as opposed to the male-only Davis Cup and women's Billie Jean King Cup - the United Cup serves as one of the precursors to the first Grand Slam competition of the year, as the Australian Open commences just a couple of weeks later.
After the United States won the inaugural United Cup in 2023, Germany arrive Down Under with a title to defend from the 2024 edition, having defeated Poland 2-1 in the final.
As well as the glistening trophy and international bragging rights, there are hefty prize pots and a maximum of 500 ranking points to be won, and here, Sports Mole provides an in-depth guide to the upcoming edition of the United Cup.
When and where is the 2025 United Cup?
The 2025 United Cup will be held from December 27 to January 5 in the Australian cities of Perth and Sydney.
All matches in Perth will be played at the RAC Arena, while nations competing in Sydney take to the hard courts at the 10,500-seater Ken Rosewall Arena.
How does the 2025 United Cup work?
Eighteen nations have been drawn into six groups of three for the 2025 United Cup, and the teams will face one another in a round-robin format, with two singles matches preceding a doubles contest in best-of-three ties.
All six group winners advance directly to the quarter-finals, and the best runners-up in each city will also progress to the final eight.
This year, Groups A (United States, Canada, Croatia), C (Spain, Greece, Kazakhstan) and E (China, Brazil, Germany) are based in Perth, while Groups B (Poland, Norway, Czech Republic), D (France, Italy, Switzerland) and F (Great Britain, Argentina, Australia) are in Sydney.
2025 United Cup schedule
All start times UK
Friday, December 27:
Kazakhstan vs. Spain (2am | Group C | Perth)
China vs. Brazil (9am | Group E | Perth)
Saturday, December 28:
France vs. Switzerland (23.30pm Friday | Group D | Sydney)
Canada vs. Croatia (2am | Group A | Perth)
Australia vs. Argentina (Not before 6.30am | Group F | Sydney)
Greece vs. Spain (Not before 9am | Group C | Perth)
Sunday, December 29:
Czech Republic vs. Norway (23.30pm Saturday | Group B | Sydney)
Germany vs. Brazil (2am | Group E | Perth)
Italy vs. Switzerland (Not before 6.30am | Group D | Sydney)
USA vs. Canada (Not before 9am | Group A | Perth)
Monday, December 30:
Great Britain vs. Australia (23.30pm Sunday | Group F | Sydney)
Greece vs Kazakhstan (2am | Group C | Perth)
Poland vs. Norway (Not before 6.30am | Group B | Sydney)
China vs. Germany (Not before 9am | Group E | Perth)
Tuesday, December 31:
Italy vs. France (23.30pm Monday | Group D | Sydney)
USA vs. Croatia (2am | Group A | Perth)
Wednesday, January 1:
Poland vs. Czech Republic (23.30pm Tuesday | Group B | Sydney)
Quarter-final 1 - Winner Group C vs. Winner Group E (2am | Perth)
Great Britain vs. Australia (Not before 6.30am | Group F | Sydney)
Quarter-final 2 - Winner Group A vs. Best runner-up (Not before 9am | Perth)
Thursday, January 2:
Quarter-final 3 - Winner Group B vs. Best runner-up (6.30am | Sydney)
Friday, January 3:
Quarter-final 4 - Winner Group D vs. Winner Group F (6.30am | Sydney)
Saturday, January 4:
Semi-final 1 - Winner QF 1 vs. Winner QF 3 (23.30am Friday | Sydney)
Semi-final 2 - Winner QF 2 vs. Winner QF 4 (Not before 6.30am | Sydney)
Sunday, January 5:
Final (6.30am | Sydney)
How can I watch the 2025 United Cup?
Viewers in the UK can watch the United Cup on the Tennis Channel International service - a full list of TV and streaming options can be found here.
How much prize money is on offer at the 2025 United Cup prize money
A total prize pot of $10m - equivalent to around £7.9m - is on offer at the United Cup, and players will take home different amounts based on their ranking, match wins and overall team wins.
The top participation prize money is $200,000 (£159,386), which is awarded to players in the top 10 of the WTA/ATP rankings who are also the number one or number two player for their countries.
Each player from the winning team will pocket $23,155 (£18,452), and number one players that win a match in the final will be awarded $251,000 (£200,029).
A full prize money breakdown can be found here.
Who are the players to watch at the 2025 United Cup?
Neither of the world number ones will be in action at the United Cup, as Italy's Jannik Sinner has opted not to play any warm-up events before the Australian Open, while Aryna Sabalenka's Belarus are not involved.
However, women's world number two Iga Swiatek - fresh from serving a one-month doping suspension - headlines the Poland team, while Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina are among the other top female players in action.
Germany's defence will be spearheaded by men's number two Alexander Zverev, one of four top-10 ATP players at the United Cup alongside Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Great Britain's troupe comprises Katie Boulter, Billy Harris, Lily Miyazaki, Charles Broom and Olivia Nicholls, but men's number one Jack Draper has withdrawn due to a hip injury.
