Who will be representing the U.S. and Internationals at the Presidents Cup in September?

At this juncture, it’s more of a discussion starter than a question worthy of legitimate debate. Twelve months ago, the idea that Ben Griffin or J.J. Spaun would play their way onto the Ryder Cup team would have felt inconceivable. Yet by the time teams were picked, they were two of the U.S. Team’s best players. A lot can and will happen over the next nine months. That makes this upcoming exercise fraught but no less fun. Yet as the months pass, the conversation will slowly morph from theory to reality.

Before the roster predictions, let’s first lay out some specifics. The 16th Presidents Cup will take place Sept. 22-27, 2026, at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois.

The U.S. Team is captained by Brandt Snedeker. The Internationals are captained by Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who also led the recent redesign of Medinah’s No. 3 course.

Both teams are expected to rely on familiar criteria to select their teams. Both sides will have six automatic qualifiers and six captain’s picks. The U.S. Team’s automatic qualifiers will be determined via a weighted FedExCup points standings, with the Internationals using the Official World Golf Rankings to determine their automatic qualifiers.

The U.S. Team has won the event 13 times, including 10 straight. The Internationals have won once (1998). The teams tied in 2003.

OK, let’s get to the exciting part. As the start of the 2026 PGA TOUR season looms, let’s take a first crack at predicting the 24 players who will play the Presidents Cup.

U.S. Team

Automatic qualifiers

• Scottie Scheffler
• Xander Schauffele
• Cameron Young
• Ben Griffin
• Russell Henley
• Harris English

Captain’s picks

• Michael Thorbjornsen
• Collin Morikawa
• Akshay Bhatia
• Max Homa
• Patrick Cantlay
• Billy Horschel

Scottie Scheffler heads an American squad that brings back a majority of players from the 2025 Ryder Cup, with a few new, fresh faces.

Xander Schauffele struggled in his return from injury last season but still managed to qualify for the Ryder Cup. He is arguably the most successful active American in team play, and with a full offseason to work on his body and game, he is primed for a bounce-back season.

Young will be a trendy selection given his performance at Bethpage Black and is already among the favorites to nab a major championship in 2026. If that comes to fruition, an automatic qualifying spot is a lock.

Griffin and Henley are Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, in the current U.S. standings, giving them an early leg up to qualify automatically. Though No. 4 in the standings, J.J. Spaun, was left off this roster. That’s a conundrum that will play out this year. Which of the surprise breakthrough performers will maintain in 2026? Griffin, Henley and Spaun all fall in that category. Griffin’s distance gains aid in his hopes of keeping pace, while Henley has multiple seasons of exemplary golf to fall back on. Spaun’s success is largely limited to 2025, which was the tiebreaker in leaving him off. All three could easily make the roster, but every year there’s more turnover than expected. Max Homa was supposed to be a key cog for years to come on the American side, yet he was far from consideration for the Ryder Cup last fall.

That brings us to the captain’s picks, where Homa is included. He returned to trusty swing coach Mark Blackburn just over a year after they initially split. With a familiar voice in his ear, could Homa return to his form of a few seasons ago? If he makes this team, he certainly will have had to.

Morikawa and Cantlay maintain their positions on the squad as two of the elder statesmen. Then comes the new blood. Billy Horschel was on his way to making the Ryder Cup team before a hip injury derailed the second half of his season. With a clean bill of health, Horschel had a ramp-up period during the fall and said he may potentially play the first 10 events of the season. That should help push him up the rankings and provide a baseline of performance to make a push for the Presidents Cup over the summer.

There’s a hefty amount of projection for Thorbjornsen and Bhatia’s inclusion, but both have more than enough talent to play their way onto the team. They also represent a key infusion of youth into a roster that otherwise has no player under the age of 28.

There’s also room for some new blood, given the uncertainty surrounding Justin Thomas, who is recovering from offseason back surgery and is unsure of when he will return. It’s certainly possible that he hits the ground running when he returns. Still, Will Zalatoris’ struggles to return from a very similar surgery are enough to slow any definitive statements about Thomas. It will be a pleasant and welcome surprise if he finds himself in the conversation for a pick this summer.

The other toughest omissions were: Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns and Maverick McNealy.

International Team

Automatic qualifiers

• Hideki Matsuyama
• Corey Conners
• Nico Echavarria
• Ryan Fox
• Sungjae Im
• Si Woo Kim

Captain’s picks

• Adam Scott
• Tom Kim
• Jason Day
• Aldrich Potgieter
• Rico Hoey
• Min Woo Lee

The Internationals’ roster is harder to pencil in. The automatic qualifier spots will go to the top-six players in the Official World Golf Ranking, which already gives an edge to Matsuyama, Conners and Fox, who begin 2026 as the top-ranked Internationals. Echavarria has not played a Presidents Cup, but has rounded into one of the most consistent prospective players over the last year. Despite some struggles in 2025, Im is still projected to automatically qualify and baking in any improvement from him in 2026 should push him easily inside the top six.

The key to competitiveness for the International squad will be the re-emergence of some of their stalwarts. Im, Tom Kim, Scott and Day all had underwhelming seasons in 2025 for their standards. Yet it’s hard to imagine a roster without any of those four, given the experience, leadership and energy they bring. It would make Ogilvy’s job a lot easier if they play well and avoid any question about their merits, particularly with Tom Kim and Scott.

Then there are always a few newcomers who will enter the conversation. Reigning Rookie of the Year Aldrich Potgieter figures to be one of those fresh faces. He was part of an International scouting trip to Medinah last fall to get a look at the course. His incredible distance is a strong asset in Four-ball and Foursomes, if used correctly.

Hoey is the least heralded of the bunch, but came on strong in the FedExCup Fall. He also boasts an incredible skill – ball-striking – that should be capitalized on. By the stats, Hoey was the best ball striker on the PGA TOUR not named Scottie Scheffler in 2025. That’s nothing to sneeze at and is particularly valuable in match play. His deficiencies on the greens could be covered up when paired with a strong putter. He’s the type of no-frills player who could make him a glue guy for the Internationals.

The toughest omissions for the Internationals were Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor, Keita Nakajima and Garrick Higgo.