On a historic day for Spanish tennis, as David Ferrer’s team prepares to face Italy in the Davis Cup final, the 2026 edition of the storied competition has already begun to take shape with the draw for next year’s qualifying rounds. Spain was among the nations involved in Sunday’s ceremony.
The Spanish national team, already assured a place in the second qualifying round, is now waiting to learn its opponent in the race for a ticket to the 2026 Final 8.
On Sunday, the two potential candidates were revealed: Chile and Serbia. One of them will be Spain’s first opponent in the 2026 campaign.
Italy and Spain, the finalists of the 2025 edition, are exempt from the opening round scheduled from February 6 to 8, 2026.
Italy, as host nation, will advance directly to the final phase, while Spain will enter the competition in the second qualifying tie, to be played between September 18 and 20.
Home-court advantage will go to whichever country is entitled to it based on previous head-to-head hosting rotations. That nation will choose both venue and playing surface.
Sunday’s draw established all first-round matchups and the projected second-round pairing. Spain will face the winner of the opening tie between Chile and Serbia, a clash set to be held in South America.
This means Novak Djokovic’s Serbia could await Spain in the next stage if they prevail in that initial showdown.
The last home-and-away meeting between Spain and Serbia took place in Belgrade in the 2017 quarterfinals. As for Chile, the only previous encounter dates back to 1965 on Spanish soil.
Should Spain win the 2025 Davis Cup, however, it will automatically secure home-court status regardless of the opponent.
What remains to be seen is which players will be available for the September tie, whether the matchup is against Serbia or Chile.
The US Open, positioned on the calendar immediately beforehand, will heavily influence the physical condition of the sport’s top stars, including Carlos Alcaraz.
Equally significant is how Novak Djokovic approaches the 2026 Davis Cup, as he has yet to announce his intentions for next year’s competition.
The draw also determined the rest of the first-round ties for the 2026 edition.