The points system, player selection, court rules and everything else you need to know before London 2026.
The Laver Cup is unlike any other event in professional tennis. It is part team tournament, part spectacle — designed from the ground up to make the sport's biggest names compete together rather than against each other, in a format that guarantees drama from the first serve to the last.
Two teams of six players — Team Europe versus Team World — compete over three days. Team World comprises players from all continents except Europe. Each day features a set number of singles and doubles matches, and the team that reaches 13 points first wins the Laver Cup.
This is what makes the Laver Cup uniquely dramatic. A match win is not worth the same on all three days — the value escalates as the weekend progresses:
This means a team can be behind by several points heading into Sunday and still win. It also means every Day 3 match carries enormous pressure — especially the final doubles rubber, which can be worth 3 points in a close contest.
Three players per team qualify automatically based on their ATP singles ranking after the French Open closes in June. The other three are captain's picks — chosen by the team captain and announced before the US Open in August. This gives captains flexibility to choose players who suit their team's needs, or to reward loyalty from previous editions.
For London 2026, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are confirmed for Team Europe, while Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur are confirmed for Team World — all confirmed early as wildcard picks ahead of the ranking deadline.
Laver Cup matches use a modified format compared to standard ATP matches. Sets are played to six games as normal, but if the match reaches one set all, instead of a full deciding third set, a 10-point match tiebreak is played. This keeps matches pacey and prevents any single rubber from lasting too long.
Players can only appear in a maximum of two matches per day — one singles and one doubles. Each player must play at least one singles match across the three days. Doubles pairings are decided by the captain, creating first-time combinations that often produce brilliant — and chaotic — tennis.
Unlike standard ATP tour events, players receive on-court coaching during Laver Cup matches. Captains and teammates sit courtside and can communicate with players between points. This adds a tactical dimension absent from normal professional tennis and creates some of the event's most memorable moments — legends like Federer and Nadal shouting encouragement to a 20-year-old Alcaraz or Sinner.
The Laver Cup is played on a specially designed black hard court — the only regular ATP event to use this surface colour. The aesthetic gives the event a distinctive look that makes it immediately recognisable on television and in photographs. The court is laid fresh for each edition and removed after the event.
The 2026 edition is at The O2 Arena in London, from 25–27 September. It is the first time the event has returned to a city — The O2 previously hosted in 2022, when Roger Federer played his final match in an emotional farewell. London's appetite for the event made a return irresistible.