The 2012 Fed Cup (also known as the 2012 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas for sponsorship purposes) is the 50th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in women's tennis. The final will take place on 4–5 November.

The draw took place on 17 July 2011 in Kobe, Japan.

The four losing teams in the World Group first round ties, and four winners of the World Group II ties enter the draw for the World Group Play-offs. Four seeded teams, based on the latest Fed Cup ranking, are drawn against four unseeded teams. The United States, Japan, Slovakia and Australia will play in the 2013 Fed Cup World Group while Ukraine, Belarus, Spain and Germany will play in World Group II.

Date: 21–22 April

The World Group II is the second highest level of Fed Cup competition in 2012. Winners will advance to the World Group Play-offs, and loser will play in the World Group II Play-offs.

Date: 4–5 February

The four losing teams from World Group II will play off against qualifiers from Zonal Group I. Two teams qualified from Europe/Africa Zone, one team from the Asia/Oceania Zone, and one team from the Americas Zone.

Lucie Šafářová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈlutsɪjɛ ˈʃafaːr̝ovaː]) (born 4 February 1987) is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.

Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles, one double title and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en route. She has reached ten singles finals: Estoril (clay), 's-Hertogenbosch (grass), Forest Hills (hard) in 2005; Gold Coast (hard) in 2006; Open GDF Suez, Paris (carpet) in 2007; Forest Hills in 2008; Bell Challenge, Quebec City in 2009; Open GDF Suez, Paris (indoors) in 2010, and the BMW Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur and Danish Open, Copenhagen in 2011. She is ranked world no. 22 as of 28 May 2012.

Šafářová plays left-handed with a two-handed backhand, and possesses a high topspin forehand similar to that of male tennis star Rafael Nadal. Her timing off the ground allows her to project groundstrokes with power, and she is quick to spot opportunities to take the initiative. Šafářová is notorious for having a volatile return, capable of hitting clean winners, as well as unforced errors. Her preferred surface is clay.

Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian recording artist and singer-songwriter from Mission, British Columbia. In 2007, she placed third in the fifth season of Canadian Idol, and was a part of the Canadian Idol Top 3 concert tour.

Shortly after competing on Idol, she signed to Fontana and MapleMusic, and released her debut album, Tug of War, on September 30, 2008. Three years later, she released a new single, entitled "Call Me Maybe", which was released by 604 Records, and was followed by the release of her debut extended play, Curiosity, on February 14, 2012. "Call Me Maybe" was met with much success, reaching the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the number 1 spot on the Canadian Hot 100. The single also went to number 1 in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Jepsen signed with Interscope Records in 2012.

Jepsen attended Heritage Park Secondary School in Mission, British Columbia and has since performed there post-graduation. She later attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, BC before auditioning for Canadian Idol. After completing the Canadian Idol tour, Jepsen retreated to B.C. to focus on writing, recording and completing her band. Her demos attracted attention and she was eventually signed a joint management deal with Simkin Artist Management and Dexter Entertainment. A deal with Fontana/Maple Music quickly followed, leading Jepsen into the studio with producer/writer Ryan Stewart.

Petra Kvitová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpɛtra ˈkvɪtovaː], English: /kəˈvɪtəvə/; born 8 March 1990) is a Czech professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed shots and variety, she has won seven WTA singles titles. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 2 in October 2011, and is currently ranked world no. 4. 

Kvitová won the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and the 2011 WTA Tour Championships singles titles, becoming the first Grand Slam event winner born in the 1990s, and the third player to win the WTA Championships in her first attempt. She also reached the semifinals of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships and the 2012 Australian Open.

Petra Kvitová was born to Jiří Kvita and Pavla Kvitová in Bílovec, Czech Republic (in 1990 still in Czechoslovakia). Her father Jiří introduced her to tennis. During her childhood, she admired Czech player Martina Navratilova. Kvitová trained in her hometown until the age of 16, and was then encouraged by an instructor to pursue a professional career in tennis.

Ana Ivanovic (Serbian Cyrillic: Ана Ивановић, Ana Ivanović; Serbian pronunciation: [âna iʋǎːnoʋitɕ] ( listen)) (born November 6, 1987, in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of May 28, 2012, she is ranked 14th on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open. Competing as a professional since 2003, she has won 11 WTA Tour singles titles. When on form, Ivanovic is known for her aggressive style of play.

Ivanovic's mother Dragana (Драгана), a lawyer, supports her daughter during most of her matches. Her father Miroslav (Мирослав), a self-employed businessman, attends as many events as he possibly can. Ana has a younger brother, Miloš (Милош), with whom she loves to play basketball.

Aside from her tennis career, Ivanovic also studies finance at a university in Belgrade and Spanish in her spare time. Her inspiration to begin playing was Monica Seles, who at that time played for Yugoslavia.