Europe will look to claim a historic Ryder Cup victory on American soil later this year, with 20 players hoping to compete in Luke Donald’s team in a special three-day team event this week.
The Team Cup sees DP World Tour golfers from Great Britain and Ireland compete against players from continental Europe in a unique competition held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort and live on Sky Sports Golf on Friday.
Who’s playing in it? How does the format work? Will the same players be involved? Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament…
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Top action from day three of the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Italy
What is a team cup?
The Team Cup is a DP World Tour team tournament where 10 players from Great Britain and Ireland will play against 10 from mainland Europe over three days of play.
Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari will serve as captains for both teams, and the event will be added to the DP World Tour schedule to give players more experience in Ryder Cup-style competition.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir heads to New York to find out what’s in store for Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Donald chose both squads in consultation with the two captains before he leads Team Europe against the United States in the Ryder Cup this September at Bethpage Black.
How did the players qualify?
The top four players in the 2024 Race to Dubai classification have secured their places in each team, with five captains from both sides announced by Donald after the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The final member of each side was then named after the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the third event in the 2025 Dubai race, with both teams featuring former Ryder Cup players and some of the DP World Tour’s rising stars.
Who plays for Great Britain and Ireland?
Tyrell Hutton LIV is the only golfer involved as he looks to make a fourth consecutive appearance at the Ryder Cup later this year. Tommy FleetwoodWinner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Paul Waring and: Matt Wallace all qualify automatically.
Northern Irish Tom McKibby – who earned dual membership on the PGA Tour – a two-time winner on the DP World Tour Jordan Smith, Laurie Canter and: Aaron Rye are part of Rose’s line-up, with Matthew Jordan completing the WC and Ireland squad.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Justin Rose shares his ambitions to automatically qualify for the 2025 Ryder Cup in Europe and his thoughts on whether LIV players should also have the chance to make the team.
What about continental Europe?
Thorbjorn Olesenwho represented Europe at the 2018 Ryder Cup, was one of four automatic qualifiers for Molinari’s team, Rasmus Hoygaard, Niklas Norgaard and Italian Mateo Manassero also securing places through their Race to Dubai ranking.
Matthew Pavon – the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour in over 100 years; Antoine RosnerRyder Cup player Nikolay Hodggaard and Challenge Tour No. 1 Rasmus Neurgaard-Petersen feature, with Molinari playing captain and Romain Langask the final choice.
What is the format?
Like the Ryder Cup, the Team Cup is a three-day team event consisting of four-ball, four-ball and singles, although the big difference is that each player plays in each session.
The two teams of 10 will go head-to-head in four-a-side on Friday and two sessions of four-a-side on Saturday, playing five matches each and all to a maximum of one point.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ryder Cup captains Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley share their thoughts on LIV Golf and whether they could play and captain a Ryder Cup team.
Foursomes sees two golfers from one team compete against a pair of another, with team members alternating between shots, and each team uses one ball.Fourballs sees each player use their own ball and the minimum from each pair the unit counts their side’s score.
Each player then returns for Sunday singles with a total of 25 points on offer over the three days.
Who has impressed in this event before?
The Team Cup, formerly known as the Heroes’ Cup, was played for the first time in January 2023 when Molinari led continental Europe to a 14½-10½ victory over GB and Ireland captained by Tommy Fleetwood.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Take a look back at the best action from the final day of the 2023 Heroes Cup, where continental Europe pulled off an impressive victory.
The competition shares similarities with the Seve Trophy, named after Seve Ballesteros and held eight times between 2000 and 2013, giving captaincy experience to future Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomery, José María Olazabal, Sir Nick Faldo, Paul McGinley and Thomas Byrne.
What does this mean for the Ryder Cup?
Six players who played in the 2023 edition of the event went on to represent Team Europe in the Ryder Cup later that year, with Fleetwood, the Great Britain and Ireland playing captain, claiming the winning point in a 16.5-11.5 victory over Team USA. : in Rome.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Tommy Fleetwood’s brilliance saw him beat Rickie Fowler 3&1 as he scored the winning point to help Europe regain the Ryder Cup in Rome.
Shane Lowry and Hutton were both part of the Fleetwood squad, along with Robert McIntyre ahead of his first Ryder Cup appearance, while Nikolaj Hodggaard and Sepp Straka were both in continental Europe.
It is likely that several of the players included in the Team Cup will represent Team Europe this September in New York, where Donald’s side will be looking for their first away win since the 2012 Miracle at Medinah.
How can I watch the team cup?
Sky Sports will be showing live coverage of all three days of the event, the first on the DP World Tour in 2025, with live coverage starting from 7am on Friday on Sky Sports Golf.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
We look back at some of the best and most treasured Sky Sports Golf moments of 2024. What magic will 2025 bring to the world of golf for Sky Sports?
Saturday’s doubles session begins at 2.30am, immediately following the conclusion of the second round of the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii, with the second foursome session scheduled to go live from 7am.
Sunday singles start earlier at 6.30 while you can download the Sky Sports app follow a dedicated blog offering live text commentary, highlights, scores and analysis on all three days.
Viewers can catch up on the coverage on the go via SkyGo, while non-SkyGo subscribers can get Sky Sports to keep up with coverage or stream the biggest moments NOW!. The DP World Tour is exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf during the 2025 season.
