Casper Ruud was named the sixth and final member of Team Europe for the 2026 Laver Cup on Tuesday, completing a 12-man field in which four of the six players on Andre Agassi’s defending Team World are American.
Team Europe captain Yannick Noah, alongside vice captain Tim Henman, selected the world No. 13 Norwegian to join Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Flavio Cobolli, Jakub Mensik and Rafael Jodar. The competition runs Sept. 25-27 at The O2 in London.
The American core. Agassi’s roster has been settled since late June, when Tommy Paul and Learner Tien were confirmed as the final two selections. Ben Shelton, ranked No. 8, Taylor Fritz at No. 10, Tien at No. 16 and Paul at No. 21 give the defending champions four Americans spread across four ranking tiers, alongside Australia’s Alex de Minaur at No. 6 and Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik at No. 11.
That is not a first. Team World also carried four Americans to Vancouver in 2023, when Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Paul and Shelton anchored a 13-2 rout, Team World’s most emphatic win in the series. What has changed is the composition. Tiafoe is out; Tien, 20, is in, making his Laver Cup debut after reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals in January and adding a second tour title in Geneva in May. Three of the four Americans on the 2023 squad remain, but the fourth slot has passed to a player who was 17 when that tie was played.
Agassi’s second campaign. The former world No. 1 took over from John McEnroe and won on his first outing as captain, in San Francisco last September, with Pat Rafter again serving as vice captain. Team World has taken three of the last four editions.
The Alcaraz variable. Europe’s roster includes a player who has not competed since April. Alcaraz sustained a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open, withdrew from Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and has entered next month’s Cincinnati Open as his intended return. Tuesday’s announcement is a selection, not a medical clearance, and nothing in the release addressed his condition.
That matters more than a single name on a team sheet. Ruud and Alcaraz are unbeaten in two Laver Cup doubles matches together, Europe’s most reliable pairing in a format where the doubles rubbers frequently decide the weekend. Noah has built continuity around a partnership whose availability is unresolved.
Ruud’s ledger. The selection is Ruud’s sixth consecutive Laver Cup appearance, following Boston, London, Vancouver, Berlin and San Francisco. The three-time Grand Slam finalist holds a 6-3 record in the competition. “The Laver Cup is one of the highlights of my season,” Ruud said.
Still outstanding. Neither captain has named an alternate. Tournament rules allow each team up to two, leaving the 12 confirmed players short of a complete travelling roster.
The 2026 edition returns the Laver Cup to The O2, where Roger Federer played the final match of his career in 2022. Los Angeles will host the 10th edition in 2027.
