The 1996 Fed Cup was the 34th edition of a competition between national teams in women's tennis. The final took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the United States on 28–29 September, with the United States defeating Spain to give the USA their 15th title.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 27 April – 29 September |
| Edition | 34th |
| Achievements (singles) | |
← 1995 1997 → | |
World Group edit
| Participating Teams | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
 Austria |
 France |
 Germany |
 Japan |
 South Africa |
 Spain |
 United States |
Draw edit
| Quarterfinals 27–28 April | Semifinals 13–14 July | Final 28–29 September | |||||||||||
| Murcia, Spain (Outdoor clay) | |||||||||||||
| 1 |  Spain | 3 | |||||||||||
| Bayonne, France (Indoor carpet) | |||||||||||||
 South Africa | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Spain | 3 | |||||||||||
| Amiens, France (Outdoor clay) | |||||||||||||
| 3 |  France | 2 | |||||||||||
 Argentina | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic City, NJ, United States (Indoor carpet) | |||||||||||||
| 3 | France | 3 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Spain | 0 | |||||||||||
| Tokyo, Japan (Indoor hard) | |||||||||||||
| 2 |  United States | 5 | |||||||||||
| 4 |  Germany | 2 | |||||||||||
| Nagoya, Japan (Indoor carpet) | |||||||||||||
 Japan | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Japan | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Salzburg, Austria (Outdoor clay) | |||||||||||||
| 2 | United States | 5 | |||||||||||
 Austria | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | United States | 3 | |||||||||||
World Group play-offs edit
The four losing teams in the World Group first round ties (Argentina, Austria, Germany and South Africa), and four winners of the World Group II ties (Belgium, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Slovakia) entered the draw for the World Group play-offs.
Date: 13–14 July
| Venue | Surface | Home team | Score | Visiting team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pörtschach, Austria | Outdoor clay | Austria |
1–4 | Germany
|
| Pilsen, Czech Republic | Indoor carpet |  Czech Republic |
3–1 | Argentina
|
| Bloemfontein, South Africa | Outdoor hard | South Africa |
1–4 |  Belgium
|
| Bratislava, Slovakia | Outdoor clay |  Slovakia |
2–3 |  Netherlands
|
World Group II edit
The World Group II was the second highest level of Fed Cup competition in 1996. Winners advanced to the World Group play-offs, and loser played in the World Group II play-offs.
Date: 27–28 April
| Venue | Surface | Home team | Score | Visiting team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plovdiv, Bulgaria | Outdoor clay |  Bulgaria |
0–5 | Slovakia
|
| Kampen, Netherlands | Outdoor clay | Netherlands |
4–1 |  Australia
|
| Jakarta, Indonesia | Outdoor hard |  Indonesia |
2–3 | Belgium
|
| Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Outdoor hard |  Canada |
0–3 | Czech Republic
|
World Group II play-offs edit
The four losing teams from World Group II (Australia, Bulgaria, Canada and Indonesia) played off against qualifiers from Zonal Group I. Two teams qualified from Europe/Africa Zone (Croatia and Switzerland), one team from the Asia/Oceania Zone (South Korea), and one team from the Americas Zone (Chile).
Date: 13–14 July
| Venue | Surface | Home team | Score | Visiting team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora, Canada | Outdoor clay | Canada |
2–3 | Australia
|
| Jakarta, Indonesia | Outdoor hard | Indonesia |
2–3 |  Switzerland
|
| Viña del Mar, Chile | Outdoor clay |  Chile |
0–5 |  Croatia
|
| Plovdiv, Bulgaria | Outdoor clay | Bulgaria |
1–4 |  South Korea
|
Americas Zone edit
- Nations in bold advanced to the higher level of competition.
- Nations in italics were relegated down to a lower level of competition.
Group I edit
Venue: Club Palestino, Santiago, Chile (outdoor clay)
Dates: 22–28 April
- Participating Teams
Group II edit
Venue: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (outdoor clay)
Dates: 6–12 May
- Participating Teams
Asia/Oceania Zone edit
- Nations in bold advanced to the higher level of competition.
- Nations in italics were relegated down to a lower level of competition.
Group I edit
Venue: 700 Years Anniversary Complex, Chiang Mai, Thailand (outdoor hard)
Dates: 21–24 February
- Participating Teams
Group II edit
Venue: 700 Years Anniversary Complex, Chiang Mai, Thailand (outdoor hard)
Dates: 19–24 January
- Participating Teams
Europe/Africa Zone edit
- Nations in bold advanced to the higher level of competition.
- Nations in italics were relegated down to a lower level of competition.
Group I edit
Venue: La Manga Club, Murcia, Spain (outdoor clay)
Dates: 22–24 April
- Participating Teams
Group II edit
Venue: Ramat HaSharon, Israel (outdoor hard)
Dates: 25–30 March
- Participating Teams
