New Delhi: In a significant achievement, India has again been awarded the hosting rights for the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia/Oceania Group I event, which will be held at the DLTA Stadium in New Delhi from April 7 to 11.
Often referred to as the World Cup of women’s tennis, the tournament will see six nations compete in a round-robin format, with the top two teams earning promotion to the Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs scheduled for November 2026.
Apart from host India, the other participating teams in the Asia/Oceania Group I ties are Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, and Thailand.
The matches will be played at the newly renovated courts of the DLTA Complex, highlighting India’s improved tennis infrastructure and growing presence on the international tennis calendar.
Last year, the Asia-Oceania Group I ties were held in Pune. Under the guidance of Captain Vishal Uppal, India secured impressive wins over Korea, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong to finish second behind New Zealand and qualify for the play-offs for only the second time in history. India will aim to continue the momentum this year also.
The Asia/Oceania Group I event is part of the fourth tier of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, with Regional Group I competitions taking place simultaneously across Europe/Africa and the Americas during the same week.
A total of seven teams from the Regional Group I events worldwide will progress to the play-offs, where they will face the seven losing teams from the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers. The tournament will follow a single round-robin format, with all teams facing each other over the five-day competition.
India recently organised the Indian Open tournament 2026, which was held from January 13 to 18th at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. However, pollution issues, dirty seats, and several instances of pigeons dropping on the courts raised questions about the organisation of the event.
India had also held the qualifiers in 2025 in Bengaluru.
(IANS)
