Great Britain and Argentina have been awarded the two wildcard spots for the 2019 Davis Cup finals and will join Croatia, France, Spain and the U.S. as automatic entrants into next year’s competition.
The two countries were chosen ahead of the likes of Switzerland, Serbia and Australia, who will have to play a qualifier in February to reach the 18-team, week-long event.
Great Britain and Argentina, who were Davis Cup champions in 2015 and 2016 respectively, will now bypass that stage, along with the four semifinalists from this year’s competition.
The current Davis Cup format was overhauled in August following a vote by the International Tennis Federation’s member nations. The 2019 event will take place in November in a week-long season finale, although a host venue has yet to be confirmed.
France will face Croatia in Lille from Nov. 23 to 25 in this year’s final. France defeated Spain while Croatia beat the U.S. in the semifinals earlier this month.