DP World Tour announce significant changes for 2026 schedule

A new European event and yet another visit to a Trump International venue are on the cards, as well as a number of changes to playing rights.

The 2026 DP World Tour schedule has been announced.

Featuring 42 events across 25 difference countries, the Race to Dubai calendar will once again be separated into a number of ‘swings’, followed by the ‘Back 9’ and season-ending playoffs.

There are couple of notable differences from this year’s schedule. Firstly, the introduction of the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship, which will take place at Real Club de Golf El Prat in Barcelona as part of the agreement that saw the 2031 Ryder Cup awarded to the nearby Camiral resort.

There is also a new venue for the Amgen Irish Open, which will head to Trump International Golf Links at Doonbeg. The Nexo-sponsored Scottish Championship, which returned to the calendar at the US president’s Aberdeen resort, is not on the calendar as it stands – though there is a gap currently waiting to be filled in August’s ‘Closing Swing’.

How are DP World Tour playing rights changing?

The DP World Tour also announced changes to its membership structure for the 2026 season onwards.

Approved by the DP World Tour’s Tournament Committee, the tweaks “are designed to provide greater schedule certainty and more balanced playing opportunities for all players who earn a DP World Tour card through any of the existing pathways”.

The changes are as follows:

• The cut-off to retain a full card through the 2026 Race to Dubai Rankings (for the 2027 season) will be reduced from the top 110 to the top 100.

• All players listed on the Race to Dubai and/or Road to Mallorca Rankings will count when defining the categories for the following season. No players will be treated in addition. (Exception: Ranked Amateurs and Associate Members will continue to be treated in addition on the Road to Mallorca Rankings.)

• Players finishing in positions 101–110 on the 2026 Race to Dubai Rankings will be eligible for Category 18 (conditional card) and will be initially ranked below the Qualifying School graduates (for the 2027 season). They will be re-ranked during the season alongside the Qualifying School graduates.

• The number of cards available to top finishers on the HotelPlanner Tour will be reduced from 20 to 15.

• Players finishing in positions 16-20 on the 2026 Road to Mallorca Rankings will be eligible for Category 19, immediately below players finishing in positions 111-125 on the Race to Dubai Rankings.

• The DP World Tour cards available at the 2026 Qualifying School will be reduced from the top 20 and ties to the top 15 and ties.

• The leading players from six international tours will continue to be eligible for Category 17. The next two leading available players from each of PGA Tour of Australasia, Sunshine Tour, Japan Golf Tour, and Korean Golf Tour will be eligible for a full HotelPlanner Tour card.

2026 DP World Tour Schedule

The 2026 DP World Tour season will begin with the Opening Swing, which takes place in November and December 2025.

Here’s where you can catch the action…

Opening Swing

November 27-30 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship (Royal Queensland, Australia)

December 4-7 ISPS Handa Australian Open (Royal Melbourne, Australia)

December 4-7 Nedbank Golf Challenge in Honor of Gary Player (Gary Player CC, South Africa)

December 11-14 Alfred Dunhill Championship (Royal Johannesburg, South Africa)

December 18-21 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open (La Reserve GC, Mauritius)

International Swing

January 15-18 Dubai Invitational (Dubai Creek, UAE)

January 22-25 Hero Dubai Desert Classic (Emirates GC, UAE)

January 29-February 1 Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies (Royal GC, Bahrain)

February 5-8 Middle East Event TBC (Venue TBC)

February 19-22 Magical Kenya Open (Venue TBC, Kenya)

February 26-March 1 Investec South African Open Championship (Stellenbosch GC, South Africa)

March 5-8 Joburg Open (Houghton GC, South Africa)

Asian Swing

March 19-22 Hainan Classic (Mission Hills, China)

March 26-29 Hero Indian Open (Venue TBC, India)

April 9-12 The Masters (Augusta National, USA)

April 23-26 Volvo China Open (Shanghai Enhance Anting, China)

April 30-May 3 Turkish Airlines Open (Venue TBC, Turkey)

European Swing

May 7-10 Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship (Real Club de Golf El Prat, Spain)

May 14-17 PGA Championship (Aronimink, USA)

May 21-24 Soudal Open (Rinkven International, Belgium)

May 28-31 Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbuhel Tirol (Golfclub Kitzbuhel-Schwarzsee-Reith, Austria)

June 4-7 KLM Open (The International, Netherlands)

June 18-21 US Open (Shinnecock Hills, USA)

June 25-28 Open d’Italia (Venue TBC)

July 2-5 BMW International Open (Golfclub Munchen Eichenried, Germany)

Closing Swing

July 9-12 Genesis Scottish Open (Renaissance Club, Scotland)

July 9-12 ISCO Championship (Hurstbourne CC, USA)

July 16-19 The 154th Open (Royal Birkdale, England)

July 16-19 Corales Puntacana Championship (Puntacana Resort, Dominican Republic)

August 13-16 Danish Golf Championship (Great Northern, Denmark)

August 20-23 European Event TBC (Venue TBC)

Back 9

August 27-30 Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo (The Belfry, England)

September 3-6 Omega European Masters (Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland)

September 10-13 Amgen Irish Open (Trump International Golf Links, Ireland)

September 17-20 BMW PGA Championship (Wentworth, England)

September 24-27 FedEx Open de France (Le Golf National, France)

October 1-4 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, Scotland)

October 8-11 Open de Espana (Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Spain)

October 15-18 DP World India Championship (Delhi GC, India)

October 22-25 Genesis Championship (Venue TBC, South Korea)

DP World Tour Playoffs

November 5-8 Abu Dhabi Championship (Venue TBC, UAE)

November 12-15 DP World Tour Championship (Jumeirah Golf Estates, UAE)