LIV Golf expands league to 57 players as qualification battle heats up for 2026
LIV Golf cranks up the drama with bigger league and brutal qualifying battle.
LIV Golf is turning the volume up again.
The breakaway circuit has confirmed a bigger league, more players and an easier route to the big time, with the 2026 season set to feature 57 players instead of 54 — and three golden tickets now up for grabs at its high-stakes Promotions event.
From February, LIV Golf’s regular season will consist of 13 teams plus five wildcards, giving ambitious players more chances than ever to force their way into the league.
And the message is clear: perform, and you’re in.
Three tickets. One week. Careers on the line.
The third edition of LIV Golf Promotions will take place from 8-11 January 2026 at Black Diamond Ranch in Florida, where more than 80 players from 24 countries will tee it up in a brutal four-day shootout.
This time, the top three finishers — not two — will earn full-season wildcard status on LIV Golf in 2026.
That’s a huge shift.
Those three players will line up in all 13 regular season LIV events, no questions asked.
Finish inside the top 10 (including ties) and there’s another prize on offer too — full exemption into the 2026 International Series on the Asian Tour.
Bigger field. Bigger pressure.
LIV’s expanded pathways mean five players will now graduate into the league for 2026:
- Three via Promotions
- Two via the International Series rankings
The International Series route was sealed last month when Scott Vincent (Zimbabwe) and Yosuke Asaji (Japan) finished top of the standings at the PIF Saudi International in Riyadh.
Now, three more names will join them — and every shot in Florida will matter.
Serious names, serious pedigree
This isn’t a bunch of hopefuls.
The Promotions field boasts former Ryder Cup players, PGA Tour winners, DP World Tour champions and Olympians, with an average age of just 30.
A staggering 47 of the 83 players have won a tournament in the last two years, including 32 different winners in 2025 alone.
Big-name entrants include:
- Chris Wood – Ryder Cup star and three-time European Tour winner
- Alex Levy – five-time DP World Tour champion
- Miguel Tabuena – two-time Olympian and International Series contender
Even established LIV Golf League names are fighting for survival.
Former RangeGoat Ben Campbell, ex-Ripper Matt Jones, and Anthony Kim — yes, that Anthony Kim — are all entered, looking to reclaim their LIV status after finishing outside the safety zone.
No hiding place
The format is ruthless.
After round one, the field is slashed. Scores reset. Then it happens again.
By the weekend, it’s a 36-hole shootout where careers can be made or broken.
Prize money is on the line too:
- $200,000 for first
- $150,000 for second
- $100,000 for third
- $1.5 million total purse
LIV: more spots, more drama
CEO Scott O’Neil says the changes are all about opportunity — but make no mistake, this is also about raising the temperature.
More players. More pressure. More drama.
Broadcast details are expected next week — and judging by the field, it’s going to be unmissable.
Andy Roberts first joined GolfMagic on a month's work experience back in April 2011.
Andy then assumed the role of GolfMagic Editor in 2015.