The Solheim Cup is the most prestigious team event in women's golf, with the best players from Europe taking on their counterparts from the USA every two years.
The three-day competition, featuring four-ball, foursome and singles matches, is being held in Netherlands in 2026 where the hosts are 21/10 to take the crown, while the US are 10/11 to get their hands on the prize.
Solheim Cup dates
The 2026 Solheim Cup starts on Friday 7th September and finishes on Sunday 13th September.
Solheim Cup teams
Teams of 12 will be selected to represent Europe and the USA.
There is a long way to go before teams for next year's Solheim Cup teams are selected with next year's tournaments set to have a huge bearing on who makes the 12 for either side.
Both Europe and USA select their players in slightly differing ways.
Europe's side is made up of eight automatic qualifiers and four captain's picks whilst the USA is made up of nine automatic qualifiers and three captain's picks.
Solheim Cup format
Like the Ryder Cup, in which male golfers representing Europe and the USA compete, the Solheim Cup is a three-day matchplay event.
The first day features two sessions of play with four foursome (alternate-shot) matches in the morning, followed by four four-ball (better ball) matches in the afternoon.
On day two there are four foursome matches in the morning session and four four-ball matches in the afternoon.
The Solheim Cup concludes on the third day with 12 singles matches, in which every player from the two teams is involved.
Solheim Cup captains
Both teams will have new captains compared to the last edition of the tournament.
Anna Nodqvist, a vice-captain in 2024, will lead the Europeans with her vice-captains yet to be named.
USA will be led by Angela Stanford, an LPGA Tour veteran who won the U.S Open all the way back in 2003.
Solheim Cup venue
The biennial Solheim Cup match alternates between venues in Europe and the United States and will be played at Bernardus Golf in Netherlands in 2026.
Located near Den Bosch, the course has hosted the Dutch Open on three occasions as well as being a regular venue on the Ladies European Tour.
How many times has the Solheim Cup taken place?
The Solheim Cup first took place in 1990 and it is being held for the 20th time in 2026.
The USA won the inaugural event under the captaincy of Kathy Whitworth, and are defending champions heading into the next edition of the competition.
Who has won the Solheim Cup on the most occasions?
The USA have won 11 of the first 19 editions of the Solheim Cup, with Europe triumphing on seven occasions and one tie.
The Americans dominated the early years of the competition, winning eight of the first 11 stagings, but Europe have emerged victorious in four of the last eight, banking wins in 2019 and 2021 and then retaining the trophy in 2023 when the contest ended in a tie.
Solheim Cup scoring system
A matchplay format is used throughout the three days of the Solheim Cup competition with each hole worth one point.
If a team or player builds up a lead that cannot be overhauled - for example, they are '5up' with four holes left - then the match is over.
Each of the 28 matches is worth one point to the winner and the teams receive half a point each if a match is tied.
The first team to reach 14.5 points wins the Solheim Cup. A 14-14 tie is possible, as we saw during the 2023 edition.
