LIV Golf expands qualifying pathways for 2026 season

LIV Golf on Monday announced expanded qualification opportunities for players aiming to join its 2026 League, increasing the number of available spots through both the LIV Golf Promotions tournament and The International Series. (LIV Golf)
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Updated 03 November 2025
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LIV Golf expands qualifying pathways for 2026 season

  • In addition, LIV Golf will double its exemptions via The International Series, granting League spots to the top two players in the final 2025 rankings not already exempt

LONDON: LIV Golf on Monday announced expanded qualification opportunities for players aiming to join its 2026 League, increasing the number of available spots through both the LIV Golf Promotions tournament and The International Series.

The League confirmed that the top two finishers at LIV Golf Promotions, to be held Jan. 8–11 at Black Diamond Ranch in Florida, will earn full-season places in the 2026 LIV Golf League. Registrations are now open at LIVGolf.com for professionals and elite amateurs worldwide.

The top 10 finishers in the event, including ties, will also secure exemptions for the 2026 International Series, which is sanctioned by the Asian Tour.

The four-day, four-round tournament offers a $1.5 million prize purse, with $200,000 awarded to the winner and $150,000 to the runner-up.

“LIV Golf continues to expand pathways for players around the world to qualify into the first truly global golf league,” said LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil.

“As fan interest grows and competition extends across the US, Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, it’s only natural that we broaden access for talented, ambitious players to earn their way into the league,” he added.

In last year’s event, Jon Rahm claimed victory as the 2025 Individual Champion and his Legion XIII team’s triumphed in the Team Championship.

In addition, LIV Golf will double its exemptions via The International Series, granting League spots to the top two players in the final 2025 rankings not already exempt.

The series, sanctioned by the Asian Tour, has staged events this year in India, Macau, Japan, Morocco, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong, with upcoming stops at the Moutai Singapore Open (Nov. 6–9) and the PIF Saudi International in Riyadh (Nov. 19–22).

Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent leads the rankings with 325.59 points, followed by the Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena on 221.19.

“We offer a proven pathway onto the LIV Golf League, and with this season’s route offering not one but two opportunities to progress, there is a real life-changing opportunity for our players,” said Rahul Singh, head of The International Series.

“Our goal is to create chances for regional and emerging talent to compete alongside proven champions, and recent results show that standards across the Asian Tour are rising rapidly.”

The 2026 LIV Golf Promotions tournament will feature four rounds of 18-hole stroke play, with scores resetting after each of the first two rounds.

The top 20 players from each stage will advance, culminating in a 36-hole shootout over the final two days to determine the two players who will graduate to the League.


US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues

Updated 59 min 18 sec ago
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US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues

The US will invest $115 million in counter-drone measures to bolster security around the FIFA World Cup and ​America’s 250th Anniversary celebrations, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday, the latest sign of governments stepping up drone defenses.

The FIFA World Cup will be a major test of President Donald Trump’s pledge to keep the US ‌secure, with over ‌a million travelers expected ‌to ⁠visit ​for ‌the tournament and billions more watching matches from overseas.

The threat of drone attacks has become a growing concern since the war in Ukraine has demonstrated their lethal capabilities. And recent drone incidents have worried both ⁠European and US airports.

“We are entering a new era ‌to defend our air ‍superiority to protect our ‍borders and the interior of the ‍United States,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. Defense companies are developing a range of technologies aimed at countering drones, including ​tracking software, lasers, microwaves and autonomous machine guns.

The DHS did not specify ⁠which technologies it would deploy to World Cup venues. The announcement comes weeks after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sits under DHS, said it granted $250 million to 11 states hosting World Cup matches to buy counter-drone technologies.

Last summer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, called on Trump, a Republican, to bolster federal support for ‌defending against drone attacks.