Group I
Winners in Group I were promoted to the following year's World Group. Teams who lost in the first round competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group I, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Europe/Africa Zone Group IIs in 1989.
Participating nations
Draw
| First Round 6–8 May | Second Round 9–12 June | Third Round 22–24 July | ||||||||
 Great Britain | ||||||||||
| Bristol, United Kingdom (grass) | ||||||||||
| bye | ||||||||||
| Great Britain | 3 | |||||||||
| Brussels, Belgium (clay) | ||||||||||
 Finland | 1 | |||||||||
| Finland | 4 | |||||||||
| Zell am See, Austria (clay) | ||||||||||
 Belgium | 1 | |||||||||
| Great Britain | 0 | |||||||||
| Lagos, Nigeria (hard) | ||||||||||
 Austria | 5 | |||||||||
 Hungary | 0 | |||||||||
| Villach, Austria (clay) | ||||||||||
 Nigeria | 5 | |||||||||
| Nigeria | 0 | |||||||||
| Austria | 5 | |||||||||
| bye | ||||||||||
| Austria | ||||||||||
 Netherlands | ||||||||||
| Warmond, Netherlands (clay) | ||||||||||
| bye | ||||||||||
| Netherlands | 3 | |||||||||
| Dakar, Senegal (hard) | ||||||||||
 Senegal | 2 | |||||||||
| Senegal | 4 | |||||||||
| Jūrmala, Soviet Union (clay) | ||||||||||
 Bulgaria | 1 | |||||||||
| Netherlands | 0 | |||||||||
| Timișoara, Romania (clay) | ||||||||||
 Soviet Union | 5 | |||||||||
 Romania | 2 | |||||||||
| Lisbon, Portugal (clay) | ||||||||||
 Portugal | 3 | |||||||||
| Portugal | 0 | |||||||||
| Soviet Union | 5 | |||||||||
| bye | ||||||||||
| Soviet Union | ||||||||||
Austria and 
Soviet Union are promoted to the World Group in 1989.
