Great Britain will play host to former Davis Cup champions Russia in their opening tie of next season's tournament.
The Russians lifted the trophy as recently as 2006 but lost their place in the elite World Group at the weekend when they were beaten in a play-off in Brazil.
Still, the two-time winners will represent tough opposition - they were the top seeds in GB's section of the draw - and the hosts will likely need Andy Murray back in their ranks to stand a realistic chance of progressing. The US Open champion opted not to play in the event in 2012.
Russia's current number one is Mikhail Youzhny, the world number 29, but both he and the 48th-ranked Nikolay Davydenko were overlooked for their tie in Brazil.
Alex Bogomolov (88) and Igor Andreev (96) played singles instead but their rankings are still considerably higher than any British player bar Murray.
Both sides were handed byes in the first round of Europe-Africa Zone I - the second tier of the competition. The tie is scheduled to take place from April 5-7.
The winners will play-off in September for a place in the 2014 World Group.
