The ten teams were randomly divided into two pools of five teams to compete in round-robin competitions. The teams that finished first in the pools played-off to determine which team would partake in the World Group II Play-offs, while the teams that finished last in the pools would be relegated to Group II for 2000.
The sixteen teams were randomly divided into four pools of four teams to compete in round-robin competitions. The top teams of each pool play-off in a two-round knockout stage with the two winners advancing to Group I for 2000.