18 nations chasing a spot in Shenzhen

The road to the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals begins this week, as 18 nations compete in six round-robin groups across the globe. With only six spots available in Shenzhen, and former champions and first-timers in the mix, the stakes are already high. Here are five storylines to follow:

1. What is happening and when does play begin?

At the top end of Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge — the women’s World Cup of Tennis — this week, 18 nations are competing in the Qualifiers with the aim of reaching the 2025 Finals in Shenzhen, China.

The nations competing in the Qualifiers are: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and the U.S.

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The 2025 Qualifiers are being played as six groups of three nations — in six locations around the world — on a round-robin basis.

Group A: Tokyo, Japan

Teams: Canada, Romania, Japan

Group B: Ostrava, Czechia

Teams: Czechia, Spain, Brazil

Group C: Bratislava, Slovakia

Teams: Slovakia, U.S., Denmark

Group D: Brisbane, Australia

Teams: Australia, Kazakhstan, Colombia

Group E: Radom, Poland

Teams: Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine

Group F: The Hague, Netherlands

Teams: Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands

All ties in the Qualifiers will be played as best-of-three matches: two singles matches followed by a doubles match.

The six group winners will advance to the 2025 Finals, where they will compete alongside the 2024 world champions Italy and hosts China, P.R.

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The nations finishing in second and third place in each group will compete in November’s playoffs alongside the nine best-performing nations from the three regional Group I events, which are also taking place this week. The group winners from the playoffs will then advance to the 2026 Qualifiers.

The Qualifiers start on Thursday, which is when four of the six groups get underway, concluding on Saturday. The other two groups will be decided between Friday and Sunday.

2. Does Czechia have what it takes to build a new dynasty?

Czechia can rightfully claim to be a Billie Jean King Cup powerhouse and the 11-time champions built something of a dynasty by winning the competition six times in eight years between 2011 and 2018.

There is a youthful look to their team this time around. Marie Bouzkova, 26, is the most experienced player on the roster. The others — Linda Noskova, Tereza Valentova, Dominika Salkova and Tereza Krejcova — are all 20 or younger.

Czechia opens its Qualifiers against Brazil on Thursday — Group B is being held in Ostrava, Czechia — and this tie, together with their showdown with Spain on Saturday, could provide a glimpse at the future of Czech tennis.

3. Can history be made in Brisbane?

Colombia is bidding to break new ground, as no South American nation has competed in a Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The Finals format was first introduced in 2021, following the competition’s rebrand from Fed Cup to Billie Jean King Cup.

It will not be an easy task, however, as Colombia is in Group D, which is being played in Brisbane, alongside hosts Australia and Kazakhstan — the latter has considerable firepower with World No. 10 Elena Rybakina within its ranks.

4. Can Ukraine make a statement and reach the finals?

Ukraine has yet to compete at a Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but it could well be the pre-event favorites to win Group E, which also contains Poland and Switzerland, and is being played in Radom, Poland.

The team has former World No. 3 Elina Svitolina. She and No. 24 Marta Kostyuk are likely to prove ferocious opponents in singles, while the Kichenok twins — Lyudmyla and Nadiia — are also there to call upon in doubles.

5. It is not all about the Qualifiers

A record 146 nations have entered Billie Jean King Cup in 2025, with players across the globe set to wear their national team colors with pride and passion. All, without fail, will be hoping to help their teams to the next rung of the competition.

This week, as well as the Qualifiers, there are also four regional group events taking place:

• Americas Group I (April 8-12 in Guadalajara, Mexico)
• Asia/Oceania Group I (April 8-12 in Pune, India)
• Europe/Africa Group I (April 8-12 in Vilnius, Lithuania)
• Europe/Africa Group II (April 7-12 in Larnaca, Cyprus)

Group events are weeklong, played at one location and feature multiple nations. All nations within the Group I events this week will have the ambition of advancing to November’s playoffs.