Carlos Alcaraz named in Team Europe for Laver Cup 2026 alongside Zverev

Carlos Alcaraz will headline Team Europe at the 2026 Laver Cup after organisers named the 20-year-old Spaniard alongside Alexander Zverev and rising star Rafael Jodar on 15 July 2026.

Who is Rafael Jodar?

Rafael Jodar, 19, joins Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in Team Europe for the indoor team event in Berlin on 18-20 September 2026. The young Spaniard, ranked 124th at the time of selection, secured his spot by winning the 2026 Mallorca Open on grass in June. Jodar’s breakthrough came after he claimed his first ATP Challenger title in Marbella in March, pushing his ranking inside the top 150 for the first time.

Why it matters for Carlos Alcaraz

For Carlos Alcaraz, the Laver Cup call-up caps a busy season on indoor hard courts. The 20-year-old has already claimed two titles in 2026-Rotterdam in February and Madrid in May-while reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open in January. His inclusion reinforces Spain’s depth ahead of the late-season indoor swing, where Alcaraz will chase further ranking points before the ATP Finals in Turin.

Alcaraz and Zverev have been paired as Europe’s doubles duo for Berlin, a pairing that could test their chemistry after mixed results in 2025. The pair last teamed up at the 2025 Davis Cup finals in Málaga, where they dropped a dead rubber to the United States. Their chemistry will be under the microscope as they aim to defend Europe’s 2025 title, won in Vancouver with a 13-8 victory margin.

What comes next for the trio

Team Europe will face Team World in Berlin on 18-20 September 2026, with the tie played on indoor hard courts at Mercedes-Benz Arena. Alcaraz is scheduled to arrive fresh from the US Open Series, where he’ll target a second Grand Slam title in New York. Zverev, meanwhile, will bring his experience from four previous Laver Cup appearances, while Jodar will make his debut in a pressure-cooker environment.

The 2026 edition marks the ninth staging of the Laver Cup, an indoor team competition created in 2017 to honour Rod Laver. Europe has claimed five of the eight titles so far, including the last two in 2024 and 2025. Alcaraz, who turns 21 in May 2027, will be the youngest member of the 2026 squad if he avoids injury in the coming months.

How the squad was built

Europe’s captain, Björn Borg, used two wildcards-one for Alcaraz and one for Jodar-after finalising the automatic qualifiers. The wildcards allowed Borg to add star power and local flavour, with Jodar becoming the first Spanish wildcard since Rafael Nadal in 2017. Alcaraz’s wildcard follows his withdrawal from the 2025 Laver Cup in Boston due to fatigue after the US Open.

The 2026 squad also includes Norway’s Casper Ruud, ranked 11th, and Britain’s Cameron Norrie, 25th. Team World’s line-up will be announced on 10 September 2026, with John Isner and Frances Tiafoe expected to lead the charge.