Taking place between Friday 10 January and Sunday 12 January, the second Team Cup – a DP World Tour sanctioned competition will take place between two teams of 10 professional golfers representing either the British and Irish Team or the Continental Team Play matches Europe.
Current Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is keen to revive the team event, particularly for European Tour players, after being appointed ahead of Marco Simone.
The first Team Cup takes place in 2023 ahead of Europe's Ryder Cup victory over the United States in Italy, with future tournaments expected to continue during the build-up to the Ryder Cup and the DP World Tour's early-season break.
The continental team earned first-time bragging rights after a 14.5 – 10.5 victory at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort, with Nicolai Hojgaard and Sepp Straka later in the year (Sepp Straka joined the likes of Rory McIlroy to repeat their team victory.
The idea behind what was called the Hero Cup in its first iteration was to give players and potential future captains a Ryder Cup-like experience ahead of their debuts.
Continent celebrates Hero Cup 2023
(Image source: Getty Images)
Francesco Molinari leads the Continental in the first-ever event in 2023, while Tommy Fleetwood takes charge of GB&I. Both are player-captains, a role that will continue in 2025.
But while last time both sides had an eclectic mix of countries, this time around only five countries are represented.
2025 Team Cup roster
British and Irish Team Cup roster
- England – Justin Rose (c)
- England-Laurie Kanter
- England – Tommy Fleetwood
- England – Tyrrell Hutton
- England – Matthew Jordan
- Northern Ireland – Tom McKibbin
- England – Aaron Ray
- England – Jordan Smith
- England – Matt Wallace
- England – Paul Welling
Justin Rose to captain GB&I at 2025 Team Cup
(Image source: Getty Images)
Justin Rose will take over as player-captain from Fleetwood in 2025, with the 11-time PGA Tour winner a clear candidate for the future Ryder Cup captaincy.
Laurie Kanter, Matthew Jordan, Tom McKibbin, Aaron Wray and Paul Welling will join Rose in making their debuts at the tournament, with Wallace, Smith, Hatton and Fleet Wood will return.
Continental Cup roster
- Italy – Francesco Molinari (c)
- Denmark – Nicolai Højgaard
- Denmark – Rasmus Højgaard
- France – Romainlandgasc
- Italy – Matteo Manassero
- Denmark – Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
- Denmark – Niklas Nørgaard
- Denmark – Thorbjørn Olesen
- France – Mathieu Pavin
- France – Antoine Rozner
Francesco Molinari to captain Continental in 2025 Team Cup
(Image source: Getty Images)
Molinari will once again lead the Continental team, which consists solely of Italian, French and Danish golfers. Denmark has been particularly strong in developing Europe's top talent in recent seasons, with Nicolai Hojgaard being the most recent Ryder Cup host.
Nicola is one of only three players to return, along with captain and Antoine Rozner. Nine other golfers will all be making their debuts.
How do players qualify for the Team Cup?
In short, they don't qualify. The captain is selected by the European Tour and the remaining golfers are selected by the aforementioned captain in consultation with Luke Donald.
Golfers who may not be automatic locks for the upcoming Ryder Cup may also be drafted, as well as some players with experience in the biennial tournament.
A small number of players who performed well and performed well last season and have a chance to qualify for the 2025 Ryder Cup may also be invited to participate in the Team Cup.
European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald
(Image source: Getty Images)
Team cup format
Similar to the Ryder Cup, the Team Cup is played over three days and includes foursomes, four-ball and singles matches. However, there is a slight difference from the Ryder Cup in that every player tees off in every match, with only one match on Friday and two tee times on Saturday.
The 2025 schedule includes one fourball match on Friday only, two separate foursomes matches on Saturday (one in the morning and one in the afternoon), and 10 singles matches on Sunday.
Where is the Team Cup held?
The 2025 Team Cup is hosted by Abu Dhabi Golf Resorts. The 7,648-yard par 72 was also used last time out and led to several days of exciting competition.
This is a different course than the course used for the DP World Tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) away at Yas Links.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club with clubhouse in the background
(Image source: Getty Images)
Team cup bonus
In 2023, the total bonus is $2 million. Each member of the winning team from continental Europe received US$125,000, while members of the losing GB&I team received US$75,000 each.
How to watch the Team Cup
United States (East)
- Friday, January 10 – (Four-Ball): 3:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
- Friday/Saturday, January 10/11 – (Foursomes): 10:30 p.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
- Sunday, January 12 – (Singles): 1:30 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
United Kingdom (GMT)
- Friday, January 10 – (Four Ball): 7:00am – 1:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Saturday, January 11 – (Foursomes): 6:00am – 1:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Sunday, January 12 – (Singles): 6:30am – 12:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
