The new LIV Golf League season kicks off on February 4 with new players and updated rules. An overview of teams and all the changes.
The LIV Golf season starts on February 4 with several changes and new faces. Besides format adjustments, prize money and point systems have also been updated.
More Holes, More Prize Money and More Points
For 2026, the LIV Golf League is launching an expanded competition concept. More rounds, a broadened points system, and increased prize money bring several changes for the new season. A total of 57 players, including 52 fixed team players and five wildcard players, form the field. Spread across 13 teams, each with four pros complemented by wildcards who compete only in individual rankings. A total of 14 events will be played, with both team and individual rankings contested.
New Points System: Every Point Counts in the Fight for Prize Money
New for the upcoming season: All tournaments will be played over four days from Thursday to Sunday, covering 72 holes. The well-established shotgun start from all 18 holes stays, as does the no cut rule. Every player remains in the tournament until the last putt.
The individual event winner is the player with the lowest total score after 72 holes. Simultaneously, each player’s every round fully counts towards the team ranking. The team with the lowest overall scorecard wins the team title of the event.
Starting in 2026, LIV Golf introduces a more comprehensive point system. A total of 1,000 individual points are awarded per event, with the winner receiving 200 points. Crucially, every placement earns points, replacing the previous all-or-nothing system.
There is also a paradigm shift in team scoring: instead of only the top 8 teams earning points, now all teams are rewarded. The winner receives 30 points, second place 15, and even the last-place team gets 2 points. This keeps every team competitively relevant until the very end.
The financial dimension also grows significantly: the weekly team prize fund doubles from five to ten million dollars. Each team receives prize money based on its placement, not just the best teams. Furthermore, a new individual prize money model awards 2.3 million euros weekly among the top individual players on the podium teams. The total prize money to be contested this season is 470 million euros.
After 13 regular events, the individual champion will be crowned based on accumulated points. However, it’s about much more than a title; every placement influences prize money, contract status, and the future in the league through classification into three categories.
Lock Zone (Places 1-34) guarantees a contract offer for the following season.
Open Zone (Places 35-46) allows continued league presence but without guaranteed contract.
Drop Zone (Places 47-57) requires players to requalify for their spot via relegation.
Team Championship as the Grand Finale of the LIV Golf Tour
The season concludes with