Billie Jean King's World Team Tennis Returns After Five Years, Headed to CNBC and Fandango
World Team Tennis, the mixed-gender league co-founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, will relaunch this December after a five-year hiatus, with matches airing in primetime on CNBC and streaming on Fandango under a deal with USA Sports (The Hollywood Reporter, 2026-09-03).
All six matches in the revival will run from December 1 through December 15, deliberately placed outside the Grand Slam tennis calendar so the league does not compete with the sport's four biggest events. The season marks the league's 47th overall (WTT, 2026-07-22). Opening night is set for December 2 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York (WTT, 2026-05-19).
The league last held a season in November 2021 before pandemic-related disruptions forced the shutdown. When World Team Tennis announced its reboot plans earlier in 2026, it included a notable wrinkle: athletes will receive equity in the league itself, meaning players hold an ownership stake rather than earning only salary and prize money (The Hollywood Reporter, 2026-09-03).
Jessica Pegula, Tommy Paul and Denis Shapovalov are among the players committed to the relaunched league. Teams are city-based: the New York Empire Racquet Club at Barclays Center, Toronto North Racquet Club at Coca-Cola Coliseum, and Florida Flamingos Racquet Club at Amerant Bank Arena. Each team plays two home matches and two away matches across the six-event schedule (WTT, 2026-07-22).
The match format is built for television. Each match features four singles sets — two men's and two women's — with deciding points at deuce (when the score reaches 40-40, the next point wins the game rather than requiring a two-point margin). A mixed doubles tiebreaker follows (The Athletic, 2026-05-19). The league also plans immersive technology, live music, and other elements designed to bridge the in-arena and viewing experience (The Hollywood Reporter, 2026-09-03).
The media deal sits within a broader strategy at USA Sports, whose parent company Versant has begun using CNBC for live sports and turning Fandango into a streaming destination. USA Sports already holds rights to the WNBA, NASCAR, PGA Tour and international soccer, and has added growth-bet properties like League One Volleyball and the Pro Padel League. Celia Kohl, SVP of Strategy & Business Development at Versant, said the company is "excited to bring live World Team Tennis to CNBC and Fandango in December" (The Hollywood Reporter, 2026-09-03).
World Team Tennis CEO Stephen Amritraj said the league's goal is to build a sports and entertainment property that delivers value to fans and taps adjacent audiences to help grow the sport (The Hollywood Reporter, 2026-09-03).
For tennis fans, the return fills a December gap with a format few other leagues offer: men and women competing on the same team, in the same match, with a stake in the league itself.
