PING Junior Solheim Cup 2026: Format, Teams and Dates
Last updated: 6 September 2026
The PING Junior Solheim Cup is the under 18 version of the Solheim Cup, played between 12 European and 12 American amateurs. The 2026 edition is at Bernardus Golf on 7 and 8 September, four days before the senior matches on the same course. That has never happened before.
Jump to: At a glance | Format | Who can play | How to qualify | Alumni | FAQPING Junior Solheim Cup 2026 at a Glance
| Dates | 7 to 8 September 2026 |
| Venue | Bernardus Golf, Cromvoirt, Netherlands |
| Europe captain | Anne van Dam |
| Players per team | 12 |
| Age | 12 to 18, born 2008 or later |
| Total matches | 24 |
| Established | 2002 |
| Holders | United States |
Anne van Dam captains the European juniors and is also one of Anna Nordqvist’s vice-captains for the senior matches. She is Dutch, so she works both events on home soil in the same week.
Junior Solheim Cup Format
| Day | Date | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Mon 7 Sep | 6 fourball, 6 foursomes |
| Day 2 | Tue 8 Sep | 12 singles |
Twenty four matches over two days, each worth one point. A team needs 12.5 to win.
The shape mirrors the senior event but compresses it. Every player features on day one rather than eight of 12, because six matches per session covers the whole team.
Who Can Play in the Junior Solheim Cup
Three conditions, and the third surprises people.
- Female amateur golfers aged 12 to 18. For 2026 that means born in 2008 or later.
- American players come through the American Junior Golf Association. European players come through the LET and national federation pathways.
- College and university golfers are not eligible, even if they are still inside the age limit.
That college rule is the one that ends careers in this event early. A 17 year old who takes up a university place stops being selectable, regardless of her age or form.
How Players Qualify for the European Team
Six automatic places and six captain’s picks.
- The leading six players on the PING Junior Solheim Cup rankings qualify automatically.
- Anne van Dam selects the remaining six.
For her picks, van Dam weighs results in amateur events, position in the European Women’s Amateur Rankings and stroke play average.
The qualifying schedule runs through the European Team Championships and the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship, both overseen by the European Golf Association, and finishes with The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship in August.
Half the team being picks is a much higher proportion than the senior event, where Europe has four picks from 12 and the United States three. At junior level a captain needs that room, because a 15 year old’s ranking rarely tells the whole story.
Junior Solheim Cup Alumni in the 2026 Teams
The point of the event is to put young players in front of the professionals and show them the standard. It works.
| Player | Junior appearance | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|
| Charley Hull | Junior Solheim Cup alumna | Europe, eighth appearance |
| Mimi Rhodes | 2019 | Europe, rookie |
Mimi Rhodes is the cleanest example. She played the PING Junior Solheim Cup in 2019 and has said that week is when the senior event became the goal. Seven years later Nordqvist picked her for Bernardus.
John Solheim, PING chairman, founded the event in 2002 for exactly that reason. The 2026 staging at Bernardus takes it a step further, because for the first time the juniors play the same course the professionals will play four days later.
Junior Solheim Cup FAQ
What is the PING Junior Solheim Cup?
An under 18 team match play competition between Europe and the United States, played alongside the Solheim Cup. Each side fields 12 female amateur golfers. It was established in 2002 by PING chairman John Solheim.
When and where is the 2026 Junior Solheim Cup?
Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, the Netherlands, on 7 and 8 September 2026. It is the first time the junior event has been staged on the same course as the Solheim Cup in the same week.
What is the Junior Solheim Cup format?
Twenty four matches over two days. Six fourball and six foursomes matches on day one, then 12 singles on day two. Each match is worth one point and a team needs 12.5 points to win.
Who can play in the Junior Solheim Cup?
Female amateurs aged 12 to 18, born in 2008 or later for the 2026 edition. College and university golfers are not eligible even if they meet the age limit.
Who captains Europe at the 2026 Junior Solheim Cup?
Anne van Dam, the Dutch professional. She is also a vice-captain on Anna Nordqvist’s senior European team, so she works both events at Bernardus in the same week.
How do players qualify for the European junior team?
The leading six on the PING Junior Solheim Cup rankings qualify automatically and the captain selects the other six. Qualifying runs through the European Team Championships and European Ladies’ Amateur Championship, finishing with The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship in August.
Have Junior Solheim Cup players gone on to the senior team?
Yes. Charley Hull is an alumna and is making her eighth Solheim Cup appearance in 2026. Mimi Rhodes played the junior event in 2019 and is a rookie on the 2026 European team.
See the senior squads on the Solheim Cup 2026 teams page, the full event week schedule, or how the professionals qualify. Junior team news is published on the Ladies European Tour site.