Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers squads revealed as Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina skip ties

The Billie Jean King Cup returns in less than a month with the Qualifiers stage scheduled for the week of April 6, where several of the WTA Tour’s top players – including Elina Svitolina, Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini and Victoria Mboko – are expected to represent their countries, while major stars such as Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina will skip the ties.

The seven series will determine which teams secure places at the Finals in Shenzhen this September, where only host nation China has already confirmed its spot. A total of 14 teams will compete in seven ties during the Qualifiers, with the winners advancing to the Finals.

The ties will be played in the traditional five-match format across two days: two singles rubbers on the opening day, followed by a doubles match on day two and up to two additional singles matches if required to decide the series.

Elsewhere, around 40 nations will compete simultaneously in the regional group events, making the Billie Jean King Cup weekend one of the busiest moments of the season for national-team tennis. The Qualifiers represent the decisive stage before the Finals, where the successful teams will join China in Shenzhen to compete for the title.

The defending champions are Italy, who arrive after winning back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025. The Italians defeated Slovakia in the 2024 final before overcoming the United States in 2025, and will once again rely on players such as Jasmine Paolini and Elisabetta Cocciaretto as they attempt to remain among the leading contenders in the competition.

Despite the presence of several established names, the Qualifiers will also be notable for the absence of some of the biggest stars on the WTA Tour. The ties take place during a transitional period in the calendar, immediately after the Sunshine Double – Indian Wells and the Miami Open – and just before the start of the European clay swing, prompting some players to prioritise preparation for the upcoming surface change.

Among the most prominent absentees are Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, two of the tour’s leading figures who will not take part in this stage of the competition. The United States will also compete without several of its biggest stars, including Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, who are not part of the American squad for the Qualifiers. Their absence significantly alters the landscape of the competition, particularly after the U.S. reached the final in 2025.

Several other nations will also be missing key players. Great Britain will be without Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter, while Australia does not feature Daria Kasatkina in its squad. Meanwhile, Czechia will miss former Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Marketa Vondrousova, both of whom have played major roles in previous Billie Jean King Cup campaigns.

Paula Badosa, Naomi Osaka and Leylah Fernandez are among the high-profile names not included in their respective national squads for this stage of the competition. All three have been regular figures in recent Billie Jean King Cup campaigns, but will sit out the April ties as the tour prepares for the transition from the North American hard courts to the European clay season.

*The confirmed team line-ups for each tie are listed below, detailing the players selected to represent their countries in the upcoming Qualifiers.