Which European players will be on the 2025 Ryder Cup team? Eligibility criteria explored

The 2025 Ryder Cup is one of the most anticipated events of the year in the world of golf. Although the tee-off is still more than nine months away, many fans are already thinking about the integration of the teams.

In the case of the European team, defending champion captain Luke Donald has introduced a new points system to determine which players will be called up. This system unified the two previous rosters.

The European team's ranking for the 2025 Ryder Cup will be determined by the points players earn in specific events throughout the season. The events will distribute a certain number of points according to their category:

• Major Championships 5,000 points each
• 2025 PGA Tour Signature events / The Players / FedExCup Playoffs 3,000 points each
• DP World Tour Rolex Series events 2,000 points each
• 2025 PGA Tour regular FedExCup events 2,000 points each
• DP World Tour 'Back 9' events 1,500 points each
• DP World Tour 'Global Series' events 1,000 points each
• 2025 PGA TOUR 'Opposite' events 1,000 points each

Players will receive a portion of the points awarded for each event, beginning with their completion of the event. The top six players on the ranking will make the team, while Luke Donald will select the other six.

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Additional requirements to join the European team for the 2025 Ryder Cup

Players must meet additional requirements to be considered for the European Ryder Cup Team. These are as follows:

• Be European (defined in accordance with the IGF National policy)
• Be in membership of the DP World Tour

The rules do not explicitly prohibit LIV Golf players from joining the team, either by being in the top six of the leaderboard or by being called up by the captain.

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European rankings at a glance

Rory McIlroy leads the European rankings in January 2025. Players from the 2023 champion team such as Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood are currently outside the top 12.

• 1 Rory McIlroy 792.07
• 2 Rasmus Hojgaard 706.53
• 3 Tyrrell Hatton 587.84
• 4 Matt Wallace 505.42
• 5 Paul Waring 465.13
• 6 Niklas Norgaard 419.73
• 7 Thorbjørn Olesen 357.25
• 8 Julien Guerrier 353.9
• 9 Jorge Campillo 343.32
• 10 Dan Bradbury 320.07
• 11 Antoine Rozner 316.48
• 12 Angel Hidalgo Portillo 312.41

The Ryder Cup expanded to include all of Europe beginning with the 1979 edition. Europe won its first title in 1985. Since then, the team from the Old Continent has won 13 editions, compared to nine for the Americans.

Major European players in history include Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ian Woosnam, Sir Nick Faldo, and Sergio Garcia. More recently, the names of Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm have managed to stand out.

The 2025 Ryder Cup will be played at Bethpage Black, New York, in September.