Here's everything you need to know about golf's biggest team event, which takes place at Bethpage Black in September 2025.
What is the Ryder Cup?
The Ryder Cup is a men’s team golf event between Europe and the United States. It was first held in 1927 as a competition between Great Britain and the US, before the former was extended to Europe in 1979 due to the dominance of the Americans.
The Ryder Cup is a matchplay event, meaning players compete in fourballs, foursomes and singles matches in order to win points for their teams. For more information about how the event works, check out our guide to the Ryder Cup format and scoring.
When does the Ryder Cup take place?
The Ryder Cup is held once every two years and played over three days, in either late September or early October.
The host venue alternates between courses in Europe and the United States. The 2025 Ryder Cup takes place between September 26-28 at the Bethpage Black Course on Long Island, New York in the USA.
Want to know more about Bethpage Black and this year’s Ryder Cup? We’ve created a comprehensive guide to the 2025 Ryder Cup venue.
Who plays in the Ryder Cup?
Ryder Cup teams are made up of some of the best players from the USA and Europe. Each team is comprised of 12 players.
The first six players for each side qualify automatically via a points system that is based on their performances at European Tour/PGA Tour events in the 12 months leading up to the Ryder Cup. The remaining six players for each side are wildcard picks who are selected by the captain.
What is the format of the Ryder Cup?
The Ryder Cup is comprised of 28 matches.
There are eight foursomes/fourball matches over the first two days, followed by 12 singles matches on the last day. The scoring system for each match is matchplay, rather than strokeplay.
In foursomes, both pairings play one ball per hole, alternating shots until the hole is complete. In fourball matches, each player in both pairings plays their own ball, with each team counting the lowest score on each hole.
How to win the Ryder Cup
There are 28 points to play for. One point is awarded per match victory, with half a point awarded to each side in the event of a draw. The first team to reach 14.5 points wins the Ryder Cup. If the contest ends 14-14, the defending champions retain the trophy.
Who manages each Ryder Cup team?
Each team is managed by a non-playing captain, who is typically a veteran golfer who has appeared in the Ryder Cup as a player.
The captain, who is assisted by three or four vice-captains, picks the pairings for the foursomes/fourball matches, as well as the order in which the players go out in singles on the final day.
Which team has won the most Ryder Cups?
There have been 44 Ryder Cups in history, with USA leading the all-time total 27-15 with two ties. However, many of those matches were between the USA and Great Britain & Ireland, with continental Europeans only being allowed to take part from 1979 onwards.
Since 1979, Europe leads the USA 12-9 with one tie. Europe has also been the dominant side in recent years, having won seven of the last 10 Ryder Cups, including 2023 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.
USA are, however, the favourites to win the 2025 Ryder Cup in the golf odds.
