Former champions Great Britain and Argentina have been handed wildcards for the 2019 Davis Cup Finals, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed.

In a change to the competition's schedule, next year's event will see a solitary tournament involving 18 teams held over one week at the end of the season.

This year's finalists Croatia and France earn automatic qualification, along with Spain and the United States - who lost at the semi-final stage, while the wildcard picks have gone to 2015 winners Great Britain and 2016 champions Argentina.

"We are looking to being amongst the best of the best next year, creating more memories and inspiring our fans to get behind us," said GB captain Leon Smith.

The remaining 12 places will be decided by a qualification competition in February, which will include the beaten quarter-finalists from this year's World Group.