The ties had originally been scheduled for February 5 and 6 but are now set to take place in eight different cities around the world on April 16 and 17.

They will be held during the week of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Budapest, which is due to run from April 13 to 18. 

The decision to delay the playoffs was made by the International Tennis Federation Billie Jean King Cup Committee in consultation with the Women's Tennis Association. 

It is believed the decision will provide increased certainty for the competing teams as the tennis calendar continues to be impacted by the global health crisis. 

A clash with the Australian Open has also been avoided, with the Grand Slam now scheduled for February 8 to 21, again delayed because of the global health crisis. 

"We are looking forward to what will be a fantastic week of international team tennis, showcasing the best of the Billie Jean King Cup competition," said Billie Jean King Cup Committee chair Katrina Adams.

"We would like to thank all of the national associations, hosts, captains and players involved for their understanding and flexibility as we continue to respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic."

The playoff ties feature 16 national teams who will compete for the chance to reach the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in 2022.

The eight losing nations will compete in their respective regional Group I event in 2022.

Matches include Poland against Brazil, Britain against Mexico and Serbia against Canada.

Latvia is also set to take on India, while Japan will face Ukraine, Romania will meet Italy, Argentina play Kazakhstan and The Netherlands come up against China. 

The Billie Jean King Cup was formerly known as the Fed Cup, but the tournament was rebranded in September. 

This year's 12-team Fed Cup Finals had been scheduled to take place in Budapest from April 14 to 19, only to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

France are the current champions.