How does the Presidents Cup work? Everything you need to know as the U.S. team takes on the International team at Medinah

The golf world is headed to Medinah Country Club in Illinois this week to watch a dozen of the best American golfers go up against their non-European international counterparts in the classic match play competition. But unlike the Ryder Cup, this event has been completely dominated by the United States since its inception in the mid-1990s.

If the Americans can pull off the win come Sunday afternoon, it will mark their 11th straight victory. They've never lost on American soil, either.

Here's everything you need to know to keep up with the 2026 Presidents Cup.

The Presidents Cup is essentially just another version of the Ryder Cup, except this time, Europe isn't involved.

The United States fields a 12-man team to take on the International team, which is a 12-man group made up of non-European international players. The event is held every other year opposite of the Ryder Cup.

The Presidents Cup is taking place at Medinah Country Club in suburban Chicago. It marks the fifth different venue in the United States to host the tournament in the event's history. Medinah has hosted plenty of major golf events in the past, including three U.S. Opens, a pair of PGA Championships and the Ryder Cup back in 2012.

The Presidents Cup follows a simple format over four days, one extra day than the Ryder Cup.

Thursday will feature five four-ball matches, and then Friday will have five foursomes matches (more on these below). Saturday will include a doubleheader, with four-ball matches taking place in the morning and then foursomes matches taking place in the afternoon. Finally, all 12 players will square off in a singles match on Sunday.

There are 30 total points available, and the first team to reach 15.5 points wins the Presidents Cup. Players earn a full point for a match that they win, and each team earns half a point for matches that end in a tie.

Foursomes is better known as "alternate shot." Two teams of two square off against each other, with the two golfers on each team alternating each shot throughout the round.

Four-ball has each golfer play their ball through the hole, but then the team takes the lower score. That's frequently known as "best ball."

Brandt Snedeker is the captain for the U.S. team, and Geoff Ogilvy is the captain for the International team. Snedeker was an assistant captain at the 2024 Presidents Cup, and he's set to serve as a vice captain at the Ryder Cup next fall. Ogilvy has played on the International Team three times himself, and has been an assistant captain at the last four tournaments.

Just like the Ryder Cup, the top six golfers from each group earned a spot on the team through a qualifying system. Then the captains make six selections to fill out the team.

Scottie Scheffler Cameron Young Wyndham Clark Sam Burns Russell Henley Collin Morikawa Chris Gotterup Justin Thomas Xander Schauffele Patrick Cantlay Jackson Koivun Jacob Bridgeman

Si Woo Kim Hideki Matsuyama Ryan Fox Tom Kim Min Woo Lee Adam Scott Sungjae Im Nico Echavarria Corey Conners Nick Taylor Christiaan Bezuidenhout Ryo Hisatsune

The next two Presidents Cup sites have already been decided.

The 2028 Presidents Cup will be held at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. It marks the fourth time the Presidents Cup is being held in Melbourne, and the first of two future stops. It will return there in 2040.

Then, in 2030, the Presidents Cup will return to the United States and be held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. The iconic course most recently hosted the PGA Championship in 2018. The BMW Championship was held there this past season on the PGA Tour, too.

The United States rolled to an 18.5-11.5 win at the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal. That actually marked the Americans' 10th straight Presidents Cup win.

The Americans won the inaugural event in a landslide in 1994, and hold a 13-1-1 overall record. The only loss came back in 1998, and the two sides tied in 2003 when Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus served as the team captains.

NBC and the Golf Channel hold the broadcast rights for the Presidents Cup.

Thursday, Sept. 24 Golf Channel | 12:30 - 7 p.m. ET

Friday, Sept. 25 Golf Channel | 2 - 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, Sept. 26 Golf Channel | 8 - 9 a.m. ET NBC | 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. ET

The Ryder Cup will return next fall, when the Americans and Europeans square off at Adare Manor in Ireland. That tournament will start on Sept. 17, 2027.