Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 5: India has once again secured the hosting rights for the prestigious 2026 Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia/Oceania Group I event, which will be staged at the DLTA Stadium in New Delhi from April 7 to 11.
Widely regarded as the World Cup of women’s tennis, the tournament will feature six competing nations battling in a round-robin format. The top two teams at the end of the five-day event will earn promotion to the Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs, scheduled for November 2026.
Alongside hosts India, the participating teams in the Asia/Oceania Group I ties include Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, and Thailand.
All matches will be played on the newly renovated courts at the DLTA Complex, underlining India’s upgraded tennis infrastructure and its growing footprint on the global tennis stage.
The Asia/Oceania Group I ties were held in Pune last year, where the Indian team, led by captain Vishal Uppal, delivered a strong performance. India recorded notable victories over Korea, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong to finish second behind New Zealand, thereby qualifying for the play-offs for only the second time in the nation’s history. The team will look to build on that momentum in the 2026 edition.
The Asia/Oceania Group I competition forms part of the fourth tier of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, with similar Regional Group I events being conducted simultaneously across Europe/Africa and the Americas.
Across all regions, seven teams will advance from the Regional Group I events to the play-offs, where they will face the seven losing teams from the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers. The New Delhi event will follow a single round-robin structure, with each team playing all others during the tournament.
India has been an active host of international tennis events in recent years. The country recently organised the Indian Open 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi from January 13 to 18. However, the event drew criticism over organisational issues, including pollution concerns, unclean seating areas, and repeated incidents involving pigeons on the courts.
Prior to that, India had also hosted the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in Bengaluru in 2025, further reinforcing its role as a regular venue on the international women’s tennis circuit.