Fed Cup structure

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The Fed Cup tennis competition is structured around a number of groups, with promotion and relegation between them.

At the top is the World Group I, which competes in a knockout competition. Below that it becomes World Group II. Below the World Group II are the regional zones, with an American Zone, Euro/African Zone and Asia/Oceania Zone. In the World Group II, all teams only play one match. Winners get to play in a World Group I Playoff with a loser from the First Round of the World Group I. Losers have to play against a Regional zone champion to remain in the World Group II in a World Group II Playoff.

The regional zones are divided in groups, with the Euro/African zone having three groups, the other zones only two. All groups play a round robin competition. Every year the two best teams from the Euro/African Zone and the winners of the Americas Zone and Asia/Oceania Zone get to play a World Group II Playoff against a team that lost in the World Group II. Winners of groups two and three in each zone get promoted to a higher group, while the losers get relegated (unless they are playing in the lowest group already). Usually, there are always two teams moving up and two teams moving down each year between the lower groups.

[edit] Current structure

This structure was implemented from 2005.

Level	Group(s)
1	World Group I 8 countries
	World Group I Playoff 4 countries from World Group I + 4 countries from World Group II
2	World Group II 8 countries
	World Group II Playoff 4 countries from World Group II + 2 countries from Group One Euro/African Zone + 1 country from Group One Americas Zone + 1 country from Group One Asia/Oceania Zone
3	Group One American Zone ±8 countries	Group One Euro/African Zone ±16 countries	Group One Asia/Oceania Zone ±8 countries
4	Group Two American Zone ±6 countries	Group Two Euro/African Zone ±8 countries	Group Two Asia/Oceania Zone ±4 countries
5		Group Three Euro/African Zone ±12 countries