Tennis news: All you need to know about the 2026 Laver Cup
The 2026 Laver Cup is almost here, and tennis fans in London are getting ready for three days of some of the biggest names in tennis going up against each other.
This year's competition takes place at The O2 from September 25-27, with Team Europe taking on Team World.
It should be an interesting weekend. Team World will return as defending champions after beating Team Europe 15-9 in San Francisco last year.
Team Europe will be hoping to put that right on home soil, writes Sports News Blitz’s Elliot Desage.
Team Europe stars
Carlos Alcaraz is one of the biggest names in the European team, alongside Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Flavio Cobolli, Jakub Mensik and Rafael Jodar.
The team will be captained by former French Open winner Yannick Noah, with British tennis legend Tim Henman as vice-captain.
Alcaraz will obviously attract a lot of attention. The Spaniard is one of the most exciting players in tennis and will be looking to help Europe win back the trophy and will be hoping to set the record straight after a disappointing US Open.
However, Zverev, who’s arguably had the best year of his tennis career after having won the US Open and Roland-Garros, will also be closely watched by many.
Team World look to defend title
Team World will be looking to defend their title under captain Andre Agassi, with Patrick Rafter as vice-captain.
Their team includes Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien, Brandon Nakashima and Francisco Cerundolo.
Fritz and de Minaur have experience of the Laver Cup, while Bublik will be making his debut in the competition.
Ben Shelton was originally selected for Team World but withdrew after reaching the US Open final, with Nakashima replacing him.
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How does the Laver Cup format work?
The format this year will be slightly different to last year’s, with the Laver Cup’s unique scoring system.
Matches on Friday are worth one point, Saturday matches are worth two and Sunday's matches are worth three. The first team to reach 13 points wins.
This means that even if one team gets off to a bad start, the competition can still change quickly over the weekend. Sunday's matches are especially important because they carry the most points.
The doubles matches could also be interesting to watch.
Normally these players are competing against each other throughout the tennis season, but at the Laver Cup they have to become team-mates, leading to some unusual partnerships and entertaining matches.
The return to London is another reason for tennis fans to be excited. The Laver Cup was previously held at The O2 in 2022, when Roger Federer played the final competitive match of his career.
Four years later, the tournament is back with a new group of players looking to create their own moments.
With Europe trying to win back the trophy and Team World looking to defend it, there is plenty to look forward to.
It should be a fun weekend of tennis, and with some of the world's best players all in one arena, the Laver Cup could produce some memorable matches.
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