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After losing out to their fierce rivals last time around, Europe will be desperate to prevail on home soil. That narrow three-point defeat in Virginia marked the end of the Europeans’ five-year reign, as the United States acquired possession of the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017.
The tournament will be hosted in the Netherlands for the very first time, at the same location that staged three consecutive Dutch Opens between 2021 and 2023. A total of 24 players will battle it out for one of golf’s most prestigious pieces of silverware, which will be hoisted aloft by either Anna Nordqvist or Angela Stanford – the captains of Europe and the USA respectively – after all scorecards have been submitted. Thanks to their aforementioned victory at the Robert Trent Jones GC in 2024, the Americans will retain the trophy should they emerge triumphant this weekend.
In the sections below, we discuss everything you need to know about the 2026 Solheim Cup.
2026 Solheim Cup – Key information
Dates: Friday 11th September – Sunday 13th September
N.B. Junior Solheim Cup and Practice Days between 7th and 10th September
Venue: Bernardus Golf Course, North Brabant (Netherlands)
TV Channels: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf
Captains: Anna Nordqvist (Europe) and Angela Stanford (USA)
Odds: Europe: 21/20, USA: 10/11, Tie (USA retain Solheim Cup): 11/1
Odds provided by bet365
Format and Schedule
As per previous editions of the Solheim Cup, this year’s event will unfold over a three-day weekend. The action commences early on Friday morning and concludes on Sunday evening, with no less than 28 matches occurring in between.
Matchplay
The tournament exclusively adopts the matchplay format, so follows a ‘best of’ framework within the standard 18 holes. This means that the winner of each match is determined by how many holes a participant ‘wins’ as opposed to the total number of shots (the classic ‘strokeplay’ format we witness at the LPGA Tour’s five majors) they have taken.
A player/team wins a hole by recording a better score than their opponent(s), with the overall winner declared when one builds up an unassailable lead. For example, the match would be over if a player is leading by five holes after the final putt on the 14th green, as there is no way their opponent can either draw level or overturn this deficit by the conclusion of the round.
Match types
The Solheim Cup hosts three different types of matches: foursomes, fourballs, and regular singles contests. The first two days are reserved for foursomes and fourballs, while the 12 singles are scheduled for Sunday.
A foursome is contested between two teams of two players. The two participants on each team play alternate shots with one another, following this pattern until the hole is completed. The team with the lowest score wins the hole.
A fourball is also contested between two teams of two players. However, the two participants on each team complete all holes individually. For every hole, the players from each team who have taken the fewest shots submit their scores, which are then compared for points distribution purposes.
The singles matches are straightforward ties between one representative from each team. Each hole is won by the player with the lowest score.
A victory in any match – whether that be foursomes, fourball, or singles – is worth one point, so there are a total of 28 points available. If a match is drawn, each team earns half a point. That means that the first team to reach 14 ½ points secures the Solheim Cup, as their opponents are unable to close the gap within the matches still remaining.
As the United States only need to draw to maintain possession of the trophy, Angela Stanford knows that her first objective will be achieved if and when her team racks up 14 points.
Order of play
Please find a brief overview of the tournament schedule below:
Day 1 (Friday)
Morning Session: Foursomes – 4 matches
Afternoon Session: Fourball – 4 matches
Day 2 (Saturday)
Morning Session: Foursomes – 4 matches
Afternoon Session: Fourball – 4 matches
Day 3 (Sunday)
Full day: Singles – 12 matches
Please note that all 24 players are involved on the tournament’s final day.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Thanks to their lucrative broadcasting agreement with the LPGA, Sky Sports are providing exclusive live coverage of the 2026 Solheim Cup. Subscribers can follow every minute of play on Sky Sports Golf, while key sessions will be simultaneously screened on Sky Sports Main Event.
Programming commences at 6:30 (BST) on Friday morning, ten minutes ahead of the opening tee time.
The chosen ones
All Solheim Cup participants have successfully navigated a tough selection process, while meeting their respective team’s eligibility criteria. The tournament showcases an array of talent from both the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour, although only one of this weekend’s competitors – American ace Nelly Korda – has won a major in 2026.
Although they assume an extremely influential role, the two captains only make a handful of selections themselves. In actual fact, the vast majority of the Solheim Cup roster is determined by performances on the two main tours, which each have their own rankings table for this purpose.
The LPGA Tour ringfences nine qualification places for the Solheim Cup, while only the top eight competitors on the Ladies European Tour gain automatic entry. As each team consists of 12 players, European skipper Anna Nordqvist made one more personal selection than her American counterpart.
If a participant withdraws due to injury or any other reason ahead of the tournament, captains are able to draft in a replacement. However, once the opening tee shot has been struck on Friday, both teams cannot make any further alterations to their existing squads.
After enduring two months on the sidelines with stomach issues, Angel Yin has pledged to remove herself from the Team USA roster if she doesn’t feel sufficiently fit. The 27-year-old Californian remarkably shed 35lbs over the summer, but was encouraged by her efforts at the recent FM Championships despite failing to make the cut.
Europe
To be eligible to represent Team Europe, players must:
• Be current members of the Ladies European Tour
• Have featured as a LET member in at least eight ranking events over the course of the last two years, unless they are one of Anna Nordqvist’s four selections.
• Be classed as a ‘European National’ under the terms set out in the International Golf Federation’s ‘National Policy’ guidelines.
Team Europe consists of:
• The two players who assume first and second place in the Ladies European Tour Solheim Cup standings at the end of the qualifying period (September 2024 to August 2026). The qualifying period commenced with the 2024 La Sella Open and ended following last month’s Open Championships at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
• The six highest-positioned LET members in the Women’s World Golf Rankings who haven’t already qualified by virtue of the LET Solheim Cup standings.
• The four players selected by team captain Anna Nordqvist.
United States
To be eligible to represent Team USA, players must be current members of the LPGA Tour and be classed as a U.S. citizen under one of the following criteria:
• A citizen by birth
• A person who was naturalised as a U.S citizen before their 18th birthday.
• A person who became a U.S. citizen by virtue of adoption before their 13th birthday.
Team USA consists of:
• The players who assume the top seven places in the LPGA Solheim Cup Points List at the end of the qualifying period (August 2024 to August 2026). The qualifying period commenced with the 2024 FM Championships in Boston and ended following last month’s CPKC Women’s Open.
• The two highest-positioned LPGA members in the Women’s World Golf Rankings who haven’t already qualified by virtue of the LPGA Solheim Cup Points List.
• The three players selected by team captain Angela Stanford.
Meet the teams
Both teams boast star-studded lineups, with an array of talent from the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour on show. The field contains a healthy mixture of youth and experience, so expect to see some intriguing battles throughout the weekend.
Each of the two captains are supported by a group of three vice-captains, who take on a share of the leadership responsibilities. Anna Nordqvist announced Caroline Hedwall and Mel Reid as vice-captains in April last year, before adding Anne van Dam to her backroom team five months later. Kristy McPherson and Paula Creamer were unveiled as Angela Stanford’s vice-captains in the fortnight leading up to the 2025 Chevron Championship, with Brittany Lang following suit just after the subsequent U.S. Women’s Open. Please note that neither of the two captains or accompanying vice-captains are part of their respective playing teams.
So, who are the key figures to look out for this weekend?
Europe
Although a relative newcomer on the Ladies European Tour, Lottie Woad is one of Europe’s shining stars. The Englishwoman earned her LET card by winning the 2025 Irish Open, before hopping over to the water to secure the Scottish Open title within a fortnight of turning professional. A scintillating performance at the Maketewah Country Club kickstarted her preparations for this summer’s Solheim Cup, as Woad swept aside the field in the prestigious Kroger Queen City Championships.
At the other end of the spectrum is 30-year-old Charley Hull, who is preparing to make her eighth appearance against Team USA. Having accumulated a colossal 16.5 points from her 27 Solheim Cup matches to date, Hull is an indispensable member of Nordqvist’s squad. Carlota Ciganda has also featured in seven previous editions of the competition, while Swedish duo Maja Stark and Linn Grant provide wise heads on young shoulders.
Three of the captain’s four picks – Julia López Ramírez (Spain), Nastasia Nadaud (France) and Mimi Rhodes (England) – are not only debutants, but are all also under 25 years of age. However, Nordqvist’s other recruit more than makes up for any shortfall in experience. Irish icon Leona Maguire boasts a spectacular Solheim Cup record, having registered eight wins in 12 meetings with her American adversaries.
USA
The American charge is spearheaded by the legendary Nelly Korda, who added two further majors crowns to her bustling personal trophy cabinet this summer.
After landing a second Chevron Championship crown in April, the Floridian pipped Charley Hull to the U.S. Women’s Open title at the Riviera Country Club. That triumph in California went some way to avenging her loss to Hull at the 2024 Solheim Cup, which remains the only time she’s been defeated in the biennial competition.
Auston Kim has enjoyed another solid season on the LPGA Tour, highlighted by top ten finishes in two of the five majors. However, she’s been unable to recapture the imperious form that led her to a runners-up medal at the 2025 Women’s PGA Championships, where she navigated four rounds of Fields Ranch East in three more strokes than Minjee Lee.
A squad brimming with quality and experience, only two members of Team USA have won less than 50% of their previous Solheim Cup matches. Jennifer Kupcho has lost five and drew two of her ten clashes with European opponents, while Alison Lee has won just twice – a singles victory over Gwladys Nocera over a decade ago and a fourballs triumph alongside Megan Khang in 2024.
Stanford has selected two Solheim Cup stalwarts in the shape of Rose Zhang and the aforementioned Megan Khang, who both concluded the previous edition of the tournament with maximum points. The American skipper has also welcomed veteran Lindy Duncan into the fold. Although technically classed as a rookie in the context of this event, Duncan has consistently proven she can perform well under pressure throughout her accomplished career.