Davis Cup
The Davis Cup Final 8 is played from 24 to 29 November at the SuperTennis Arena in Bologna, and Italy, the hosts, are going for a fourth title in a row. They are without Jannik Sinner, who has ended his season with a knee injury, while Spain bring Carlos Alcaraz and two more top-15 singles players for David Ferrer’s last week as captain. Great Britain are back in the last eight for the first time since 2023 and play Germany and the world No. 1 Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.
This preview was written on 12 November with all eight squads named. For the qualifying ties that decided the field, see the road to Bologna, and for our picks, our Davis Cup betting tips.
Davis Cup 2026: Key Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 to 29 November 2026 |
| Venue | SuperTennis Arena, BolognaFiere, Bologna |
| Surface | Hard court (indoor) |
| Format | Eight-nation knockout; each tie is two singles and a doubles, first to two wins |
| Defending champion | Italy (2023, 2024 and 2025) |
| Most titles | United States (32) |
The Schedule
| Day | Tie | Bologna (CET) | UK time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 24 November | Quarter-final: Czechia v Canada | 4pm | 3pm |
| Wednesday 25 November | Quarter-final: Italy v South Korea | 4pm | 3pm |
| Thursday 26 November | Quarter-final: Great Britain v Germany | 10am | 9am |
| Thursday 26 November | Quarter-final: Austria v Spain | Not before 5pm | Not before 4pm |
| Friday 27 November | Semi-final: Italy or South Korea v Czechia or Canada | 4pm | 3pm |
| Saturday 28 November | Semi-final: Great Britain or Germany v Austria or Spain | 12pm | 11am |
| Sunday 29 November | Final | 3pm | 2pm |
Times are from the official schedule published by World Tennis on 24 September. Bologna is one hour ahead of the UK.
The Eight Teams
| Team | Players | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Musetti, Luciano Darderi, Simone Bolelli, Andrea Vavassori | Filippo Volandri |
| Spain | Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Jódar, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Pedro Martínez, Marcel Granollers | David Ferrer |
| Germany | Alexander Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff, Kevin Krawietz, Tim Pütz | Michael Kohlmann |
| Great Britain | Arthur Fery, Cameron Norrie, Henry Patten, Neal Skupski | Leon Smith |
| Czechia | Jakub Menšík, Jiří Lehečka, Patrik Rikl, Adam Pavlásek | Tomáš Berdych |
| Canada | Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, Liam Draxl, Duncan Chan | Frank Dancevic |
| Austria | Jurij Rodionov, Lukas Neumayer, Joel Schwärzler, Neil Oberleitner, Lucas Miedler | Jürgen Melzer |
| South Korea | Kwon Soonwoo, Chung Hyeon, Park Uisung, Nam Jisung, Hong Seongchan | Chung Jongsam |
Italy Without Sinner
Italy won the Davis Cup in 1976 and then three years running from 2023, and they did the last of those without Sinner, beating Spain 2-0 in last year’s final in Bologna. Flavio Cobolli was the player of that week, winning all three of his matches, and he arrives this year as a Roland-Garros finalist and a top-10 player. Lorenzo Musetti won the Lyon title in October and beat Zverev at the Paris Masters, Luciano Darderi is the third singles option, and Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori give them one of the strongest doubles pairs in the event. Their quarter-final is against South Korea, who reached the Final 8 for the first time by beating India 3-1 in Seoul.
Spain, Alcaraz and Ferrer’s Farewell
On paper Spain have the best singles line-up in Bologna. Alcaraz won Vienna and the Paris Masters in the two weeks before the ATP Finals, Rafael Jódar reached the Shanghai final and qualified for Turin, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won the Shanghai title. Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez cover the doubles. Spain have won the Davis Cup six times, most recently in 2019, and lost last year’s final to Italy. This is Ferrer’s last event as captain before Marc López takes over. Their quarter-final is against Austria, who beat Belgium 3-1 in Vienna to qualify, with Jurij Rodionov winning the decisive rubber against Zizou Bergs.
Great Britain v Germany
Britain beat Norway and Ecuador 4-0 this year to reach Bologna. Arthur Fery, the British No. 1 and a Wimbledon semi-finalist in July, leads the team with Cameron Norrie, and Henry Patten and Neal Skupski are the doubles pair. Germany, the No. 3 seeds, have Zverev, who won Roland-Garros and the US Open this year, plus Jan-Lennard Struff and the US Open doubles runners-up Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz. Germany lead the head-to-head 6-5 and won the last meeting, a 2021 Finals quarter-final, 2-1. With Zverev likely to win his singles, Britain’s route runs through the No. 2 singles and the doubles. Great Britain have won the Davis Cup ten times, most recently in 2015.
Czechia v Canada
The week opens with the tie that looks closest on paper. Czechia knocked out the United States 3-2 in Prague, where Jiří Lehečka won both his singles and Jakub Menšík beat Ben Shelton in the reverse singles. Lehečka has since reached the finals in Tokyo and Basel. Canada beat France 3-1 in Quebec City and bring Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, the pair who won the title for Canada in 2022. Auger-Aliassime withdrew from the Paris Masters before the draw, so his fitness is worth watching. The winners play Italy or South Korea in the semi-finals.
The ATP Finals Overlap
Alcaraz, Zverev, Jódar and Cobolli all play the ATP Finals in Turin from 15 to 22 November. Anyone who reaches the Turin final on Sunday 22 November has two days before Italy’s quarter-final and three before Spain or Germany play.
How to Watch in the UK
The official Davis Cup broadcast list names Tennis Channel and the BBC as the UK partners, and Britain’s September tie against Ecuador was live on BBC iPlayer. Our guide to watching the Davis Cup has the details and UK start times.
FAQ
Davis Cup 2026 FAQs
When is the Davis Cup Final 8 in 2026?
From 24 to 29 November 2026 at the SuperTennis Arena in Bologna, Italy. The quarter-finals run from Tuesday 24 to Thursday 26 November, the semi-finals are on 27 and 28 November and the final is on Sunday 29 November.
How does the Davis Cup Final 8 work?
It is a straight knockout between eight nations. Each tie is two singles matches followed by a doubles, and the first team to win two matches goes through. The qualifying rounds use a longer best-of-five format over two days.
Who are the teams at the Davis Cup Final 8?
Italy, the hosts and defending champions, plus Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Czechia, Canada, Austria and South Korea.
Is Carlos Alcaraz playing in the Davis Cup?
Yes. Alcaraz leads Spain alongside Rafael Jódar and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Jannik Sinner is not playing for Italy after ending his season with a knee injury.
Who won the Davis Cup in 2025?
Italy, who beat Spain 2-0 in the final in Bologna for their third title in a row.
More Coverage
Read our Davis Cup betting tips, the guide to watching the Davis Cup in the UK, the list of Davis Cup winners and the Davis Cup prize money breakdown, and follow the Davis Cup hub for the draw and results. The week before, the ATP Finals are in Turin. Every event we follow is in the tournaments index, and the dates are in the 2026 tennis calendar.