For almost the entire tennis season, the world’s leading players are rivals.
Then, for three days, some of those rivalries are temporarily put aside.
The Laver Cup divides six leading men’s players from Europe and six from the rest of the world into two teams: Team Europe and Team World.
They compete in singles and doubles over three days, with teammates sitting courtside, captains making tactical decisions and matches becoming progressively more valuable as the weekend unfolds.
Inspired by golf’s Ryder Cup and named in honour of Australian great Rod Laver, the tournament was first held in Prague in 2017. The idea originated with Roger Federer as a way of honouring Laver and the generation that helped build modern professional tennis.
The result is one of the most unusual formats on the professional tennis calendar.
Here’s how it works.
What Is the Laver Cup?
The Laver Cup is an annual men’s team tennis competition between:
TEAM EUROPE
Six players representing Europe
vs
TEAM WORLD
Six players representing the rest of the world
Unlike Davis Cup, players aren’t separated into individual national teams.
A Spaniard, Italian and German can all play together for Team Europe.
An American, Australian and Argentine can all be teammates for Team World.
The tournament takes place over three days — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — with singles and doubles matches contributing points to the overall team score.
The first team to reach 13 points wins the Laver Cup.
How Does Laver Cup Scoring Work?
This is the feature that most distinguishes the Laver Cup from conventional tennis tournaments.
Not every match is worth the same amount.
Friday
Each victory = 1 point
Saturday
Each victory = 2 points
Sunday
Each victory = 3 points
The first team to reach 13 points wins. There are 24 points available across the scheduled 12 matches.
This creates a deliberate escalation throughout the weekend.
A Friday victory matters.
A Saturday victory matters twice as much.
A Sunday victory is worth three times a Friday win.
So a team that falls behind early isn’t necessarily out of contention.
Why Does the Laver Cup Use Different Points Each Day?
It helps keep the competition alive.
Imagine one team dominates Friday.
It wins all four matches.
The score is:
4-0
That looks substantial.
But four Saturday matches are worth two points each, meaning eight points are available the following day.
And four Sunday matches can potentially be worth 12 points.
So the tournament becomes progressively more valuable rather than allowing one dominant opening day to settle the result.
The system also creates increasing pressure.
A singles match on Friday is worth one point.
A singles match between the same two players on Sunday would be worth three.
The tennis scoring hasn’t changed.
The consequences have.
How Many Matches Are Played?
There are up to 12 scheduled matches across five sessions.
The normal structure is:
Friday
Singles
Singles
Singles
Doubles
Saturday
Singles
Singles
Singles
Doubles
Sunday
Doubles
Singles — if required
Singles — if required
Singles — if required
Play stops when one team reaches the required 13 points.
That means all 12 scheduled matches aren’t necessarily played.
If a team reaches 13 before the final match, the Cup has already been decided.
If only one match is required on Sunday to determine the winner, an exhibition match is played after the trophy ceremony for spectators.
What Happens If the Score Is 12-12?
There is one more twist.
If all 12 scheduled matches have been completed and the teams are tied:
12-12
↓
THE DECIDER
↓
DOUBLES
↓
🏆 WINNER TAKES THE LAVER CUP
The Decider is an overtime doubles match played as one regular set with advantage scoring and a tiebreak if required.
That means an entire three-day tournament could theoretically come down to one doubles set.
It hasn’t happened yet.
But the format is designed to allow it.
How Are Individual Matches Scored?
Laver Cup matches are played as best of three sets with advantage scoring.
However, if the players or teams split the opening two sets, they don’t play a conventional third set.
Instead, the match is decided by a 10-point match tiebreak.
So a match could finish:
6-4, 3-6, [10-7]
rather than requiring a full third set.
This applies to both singles and doubles.
The exception is the special 12-12 Decider described above, which is played as one regular set.
Does Every Player Have to Play?
The Laver Cup has rules designed to ensure the entire six-player team is involved.
Each player must play at least one singles match during the first two days.
No player can play singles more than twice during the three-day competition.
At least four of the six players on each team must also participate in doubles.
The same doubles combination cannot be used more than once during the scheduled matches, although a pairing can be repeated if the competition reaches the 12-12 Decider.
That prevents a captain from simply selecting the team’s highest-ranked player for every important singles match.
The competition genuinely requires a squad.
Different players have to contribute.
How Are the Teams Selected?
Each Laver Cup team contains six players.
Three players from each region receive automatic invitations based on their ATP singles ranking on the Monday following Roland-Garros, while the remaining three places are Captain’s Picks.
If one of the highest-ranked eligible players declines an automatic invitation, it is offered to another highly ranked player until the three ranking-based places have been filled.
The three Captain’s Picks give the captains flexibility when completing their teams. They can consider factors such as form, experience, doubles ability and how a player might fit into the overall team.
Each team can also have up to two alternates.
This combination of ranking-based invitations and captain selections helps ensure the Laver Cup features leading players while still giving each captain some control over the composition of the team.
Who Are the Laver Cup Captains?
The captaincy has become another important part of the event.
For the first seven editions:
Bjorn Borg — Team Europe
John McEnroe — Team World
Their rivalry and contrasting personalities became part of the competition’s identity.
A new era began in 2025.
Yannick Noah became Team Europe captain, while Andre Agassi took over Team World. Their teams met for the first time in San Francisco, where Team World won 15-9.
Captains don’t play.
Instead, they help select players, determine line-ups and provide advice from courtside.
That coaching element contributes to the unusual atmosphere.
Players who normally make decisions largely alone during matches suddenly have one of tennis’s great former champions sitting beside them during changeovers.
How Are the Daily Matchups Chosen?
Captains submit their line-ups according to the tournament’s selection procedure.
For Friday, both teams submit their selections without seeing the opposition’s choices.
For Saturday, one team submits first and the other can respond after seeing those selections.
The process is repeated on Sunday with the order reversed.
That introduces another layer of strategy.
A captain isn’t merely choosing who should play.
They are also trying to anticipate the opposition.
Who might they send out?
Which matchup would favour us?
Should our strongest player be saved for another session?
It’s a small tactical element that normal individual tournaments simply don’t have.
Do Laver Cup Matches Count on a Player’s Official Record?
Yes.
The Laver Cup is a certified event on the ATP Tour calendar.
Individual match results are recorded in players’ official records, ATP umpires officiate the competition and ATP rules and on-court procedures apply.
This is worth distinguishing from ranking points.
The Laver Cup does not operate like an ATP 250, 500 or Masters 1000 tournament where players progress through a draw collecting ranking points.
Instead, the objective is the team score.
So it sits somewhat separately from the normal tournament hierarchy we’ve covered elsewhere in this series.
Does the Laver Cup Award ATP Ranking Points?
No.
Players don’t earn ATP ranking points for Laver Cup victories.
This is why the tournament shouldn’t be placed into a points hierarchy such as:
Grand Slam → Masters 1000 → ATP 500 → ATP 250 → Laver Cup.
It doesn’t belong there.
The event is ATP-sanctioned and the matches form part of official records, but its scoring system exists entirely for determining whether Team Europe or Team World wins the Laver Cup.
What Surface Is the Laver Cup Played On?
The tournament is played on an indoor hard court.
More specifically, the Laver Cup says it is always staged on one competition hard court inside a retractable-roof stadium or indoor arena.
That creates another distinctive feature.
There are no outside courts.
No simultaneous matches.
Everyone watches the same court.
One match finishes, then attention shifts to the next.
That helps create the team-event atmosphere because every player can sit courtside supporting teammates rather than competing elsewhere around a large tournament site.
Where Is the Laver Cup Played?
The host city changes each year, alternating broadly between Europe and the rest of the world.
Past editions have been staged in:
Prague
Chicago
Geneva
Boston
London
Vancouver
Berlin
San Francisco
The ninth edition returns to The O2 in London from September 25-27, 2026.
London has particular significance in Laver Cup history.
The city previously hosted the 2022 edition, where Roger Federer played the final match of his professional career, partnering Rafael Nadal in doubles.
The 2027 tournament will move to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, in the Los Angeles area.
Why Is It Called the Laver Cup?
The tournament is named after Australian legend Rod Laver.
Laver occupies a unique position in tennis history.
He won the calendar-year Grand Slam — all four majors in the same season — in 1962 and 1969, making him the only player to accomplish the feat twice in men’s singles.
The tournament was created to honour Laver and the generation of players who helped establish the foundations of modern professional tennis.
Roger Federer was instrumental in developing the idea.
Rather than naming the competition after himself or another contemporary star, Federer wanted it to recognise the players who came before his generation.
The first Laver Cup was subsequently staged in Prague in 2017.
Who Won the First Laver Cup?
Team Europe won the inaugural tournament.
Europe defeated Team World 15-9 in Prague in 2017.
Appropriately, the decisive moment came from Federer.
He defeated Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 7-6(6), [11-9], saving a match point during the match tiebreak before securing the title for Europe.
The first European team featured an extraordinary collection of players:
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Tomas Berdych.
That weekend also produced one of the images that helped establish the tournament’s identity: Federer and Nadal, two of the greatest rivals in tennis history, suddenly sitting together as teammates.
Which Team Has Won the Most Laver Cups?
Through the 2025 edition:
Team Europe — 5 titles
Team World — 3 titles
Europe won the first four editions in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 before Team World broke through in London in 2022.
Team World retained the trophy in Vancouver in 2023.
Europe reclaimed it in Berlin in 2024.
Then Team World won again in San Francisco in 2025, defeating Europe 15-9.
That leaves the overall record at 5-3 entering the 2026 edition in London.
How Is the Laver Cup Different From Davis Cup?
Both are men’s team tennis competitions, but the similarities largely end there.
Laver Cup
Team Europe vs Team World
Six players per team
Three-day event
Played at one venue
Unique 1-2-3 scoring system
Annual rotating host city
Davis Cup
Country vs Country
Players represent individual nations
Competition takes place across multiple stages
Home-and-away ties form part of the structure
Final 8 decides the champion
The Davis Cup also dates back to 1900, while the Laver Cup began in 2017.
See Davis Cup Explained for the full structure.
Is the Laver Cup an Exhibition?
This question has followed the tournament since its creation.
The most useful distinction is its official status.
The Laver Cup is a certified ATP Tour event, uses ATP officials and procedures, and its individual match results appear in official player records.
However, it doesn’t award ATP ranking points and uses a team format unlike normal Tour tournaments.
So rather than trying to force it into the conventional ATP tournament ladder, it is better understood as a separate annual team competition operating within the professional calendar.
Why the Laver Cup Works
The basic idea is remarkably simple.
Take players who spend almost every week trying to beat one another.
Put them on the same team.
Then let us watch what happens.
Suddenly a rival is giving tactical advice during a changeover.
A singles star is screaming encouragement from courtside.
A player can lose his match but still finish the weekend as part of the winning team.
The scoring system adds another layer.
Friday matters.
Saturday matters more.
Sunday matters most.
And if everything finishes 12-12, three days of tennis come down to one doubles set.
The Laver Cup doesn’t try to replicate a Grand Slam, Davis Cup or conventional ATP tournament.
Its appeal comes largely from doing something none of them quite does.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Laver Cup?
The Laver Cup is an annual men’s team tennis competition featuring six players from Team Europe against six representing Team World.
How many players are on each Laver Cup team?
Six.
How does Laver Cup scoring work?
Each match victory is worth one point on Friday, two on Saturday and three on Sunday.
How many points are needed to win the Laver Cup?
The first team to reach 13 points wins.
What happens if the Laver Cup finishes 12-12?
An overtime doubles Decider is played as one regular set with advantage scoring and a tiebreak if required.
Does the Laver Cup award ATP ranking points?
No. However, it is an ATP-certified event and its match results are included in players’ official records.
Who plays in the Laver Cup?
Team Europe consists of European players, while Team World contains players from everywhere outside Europe.
Who has won more Laver Cups?
Team Europe leads the series 5-3 after eight editions through 2025.
Who won the 2025 Laver Cup?
Team World, defeating Team Europe 15-9 in San Francisco.
Where is the 2026 Laver Cup?
At The O2 in London from September 25-27, 2026.
Why is it called the Laver Cup?
It is named in honour of Australian tennis great Rod Laver and was created to celebrate Laver and the generation that helped establish modern professional tennis.
Final Thoughts
The Laver Cup occupies its own corner of professional tennis.
It doesn’t offer Grand Slam glory.
It doesn’t provide ATP ranking points.
And players don’t represent individual countries as they do in Davis Cup.
Instead, it takes 12 elite players, divides them between Europe and the rest of the world and turns three days of individual tennis into a team contest.
The unusual scoring system ensures the pressure rises as the weekend continues.
One point on Friday.
Two on Saturday.
Three on Sunday.
Thirteen to win.
Add singles, doubles, captains, courtside teammates and the possibility of a winner-takes-all doubles Decider, and you have a tournament unlike anything else on the men’s calendar.
That difference is precisely the point.
Continue Reading
Davis Cup Explained
Billie Jean King Cup Explained
Olympic Tennis Explained
United Cup Explained
The ATP Tour Explained
ATP 250 Explained
Tennis Ranking Points Explained
Read more of our instructional articles here.
Read more of our player focus articles here.
Follow The Tennis Site on X: @thetennissite
Follow Todd Scoullar on X: @toddscoullar
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.