A year after the Ryder Cup, another big men’s match play event takes center stage – the Presidents Cup, which pits a US team against a non-European team of Internationals.
On the surface, the match, which comes from Medinah in 2026, has plenty in common with its more famous counterpart, and there are some striking similarities.
Like the Ryder Cup, it takes place between two teams of 12 players competing in sessions of foursomes, fourball, and singles, with both matches taking place every two years.
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However, there are some important distinctions between the two. Here are five of the biggest ways the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup differ.
The US faces an International team at the Presidents Cup, rather than Europe
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The most obvious difference between the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup is the opposition the US faces.
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While the Ryder Cup sees the Americans take on Europe’s best golfers, only non-Europeans are eligible for the International Team.
That’s why you won’t see the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm at Medinah, but you will see non-European stars such as Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryan Fox taking on the US.
The differences extend beyond who the US faces, too, with each match also having its own qualification system.
Both matches currently feature six automatic qualifiers and six captain’s picks per team, but they use different points systems to determine who earns the automatic places.
The make-up of the US opposition also affects where matches are played, with non-US editions of the Presidents Cup held at venues outside Europe.
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The format of the two contests are different
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The Presidents Cup takes place over four days, unlike the Ryder Cup, which features three days of action.
There are also more matches in the Presidents Cup, with it having 30 compared to the Ryder Cup’s 28.
The first two days of the Presidents Cup are set aside for one fourball session and one of foursomes, with each session featuring five matches.
In contrast, the first two days of the Ryder Cup each feature four foursomes and four fourball matches, split between morning and afternoon sessions.
On Saturday, the Presidents Cup also features eight matches across morning and afternoon sessions, before both competitions conclude with 12 singles matches on Sunday.
Another difference between the two is the number of players required in the first two sessions.
Whereas the Ryder Cup features eight players from each team in every fourball and foursomes session, the first two sessions of the Presidents Cup feature a total of 10 players.
Because the Presidents Cup has more matches than the Ryder Cup, the number of points required to win is also higher.
The magic number to win the Presidents Cup outright is 15.5 points rather than the 14.5 points needed to win the Ryder Cup outright.
But what if there’s a tie? That’s where another subtle difference between the two contests can be found.
In the Presidents Cup, if the teams are tied 15-15, the honors are shared, but if it finishes 14-14 in the Ryder Cup, the defending champions retain the trophy.
The Presidents Cup was formed in 1994
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Another key difference between the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup is the history of the two competitions.
The 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland will mark its centenary, whereas the Presidents Cup was only established 32 years ago, in 1994.
As a result, there have been far more editions of the Ryder Cup, with last year’s contest at Bethpage Black being its 45th. The 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah is just the 16th time it has been held.
While both matches are biennial, the Presidents Cup is currently held in even-numbered years and the Ryder Cup in odd-numbered years.
The trophies have very different histories, too. The Ryder Cup is named after English businessman Samuel Ryder, who donated the trophy for the inaugural match in 1927.
The Presidents Cup trophy was commissioned for the first edition in 1994 and was designed by Tiffany & Co.
The Presidents Cup is run by the PGA Tour
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The two contests also have different governing bodies.
The Presidents Cup is run by the PGA Tour. That helps explain why there aren’t any current LIV Golfers in the line-up for the 2026 edition, with those players suspended by the PGA Tour.
In contrast, the Ryder Cup is jointly run by the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, meaning PGA Tour membership isn’t a requirement for either team.
That has allowed LIV Golfers to remain part of the Ryder Cup picture, as long as they are eligibile.
For example, at the 2025 Ryder Cup, Bryson DeChambeau played for the US, while Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton played for Europe.
Team USA has generally dominated
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One of the more striking differences between the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup concerns the competitive records of the teams.
The Presidents Cup has seen the US dominate, winning 13 of the previous 15 matches, with just one defeat in 1998 and one tie in 2003.
On the other hand, the Ryder Cup has been much more competitive, particularly since players from continental Europe became eligible in 1979.
The US still has the upper hand, but its record of 27 wins, 16 losses and two ties isn’t nearly as impressive.
The lack of competitiveness has led to some changes in a bid to level the playing field through the years, including a reduction in the number of matches and the introduction of an International Team shield as an identifying symbol.
However, the US has continued to dominate, and the Internationals arrived at Medinah looking for their first victory since their victory at Royal Melbourne in 1998.