India will host the Netherlands in the Davis Cup 2026 qualifiers in February, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced on Sunday. The venue for the home tie will be confirmed later.
India and the Netherlands are among 27 teams in the qualifiers, with the 13 winners, along with Spain, progressing to September’s second round. Spain are the top seeds in the 2026 qualifiers draw and receive a bye to the second round. The losers will be relegated to World Group I.
Despite home advantage, India will face a stern test against world No. 4 Netherlands – the 2024 runners-up and a side ranked 29 places above them. India, currently No. 33, have finished runners-up three times, with their last final appearance coming in 1987.
The first-round tennis ties will be played on February 6-7 or 7-8, while the second-round fixtures are scheduled for September 18-19 or 19-20.
India earned their place in the 2026 qualifiers after a superb 3-1 win over Switzerland in their Davis Cup 2025 World Group I tie at the Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel in September.
Led by Dhakshineswar Suresh and Sumit Nagal, the victory marked India’s first win over a European nation in Europe since 1993, when Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan steered the team past France in the quarter-finals.
It was also the first time India progressed beyond the World Group I stage since the competition format was revamped in 2019. The Indian tennis team has finished as Davis Cup runners-up in 1966, 1974 and 1987.
The teams progressing past both stages of the qualifiers will join hosts Italy for the 2026 Davis Cup Final 8 to be played in November next year.