Ever since LIV Golf entered the professional landscape in 2022, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and built around a team-based global format, the league has remained a major point of chatter in the sport. Its structure, schedule, and player movement have challenged long-established norms. With the league preparing for its fifth season, a new set of official changes announced on Nov 4, 2025, is shaping the competitive direction for 2026 and redefining what the next year will look like for LIV’s leading players.

LIV confirmed that all regular-season events will transition to a four-day, 72-hole format beginning next year. The structure keeps shotgun starts and the simultaneous individual and team competitions that have defined the league. CEO Scott O’Neil said the adjustment marks “a pivotal new chapter” that strengthens the product and responds to rising global attention, adding that LIV “will always have an eye towards progress that acts in the best interest of LIV Golf and in the best interest of the sport.” The shift follows a year in which LIV reported significant attendance growth and nearly 90% year-on-year gains in broadcast viewership through its partnership with FOX Sports.

Players inside the league welcomed the expanded format. Jon Rahm said the move “is a win for the League, and the players,” calling 72 holes “the logical next step that strengthens the competition, tests us more fully, and delivers more of what the fans want.” Bryson DeChambeau said the change was “a proactive step to align with the historic format recognized globally,” while Dustin Johnson noted that “playing 72 holes just feels a little more like the big tournaments we’ve all grown up playing,” adding that four rounds “give the best players a chance to rise to the top.”

Alongside the format change, LIV has introduced a new requirement for all newly contracted players beginning in 2026. Each will need to compete in at least two Asian Tour International Series events in addition to the 14-event LIV schedule. Flushing It reported, “Starting in 2026, all newly contracted LIV Golf players will be expected to play a minimum of two International Series events on the Asian Tour as well as the 14 events on the LIV Golf League.” He added that the partnership “will only continue to grow in the coming years.”

For many players, the International Series already provides competitive and commercial value. At the Philippines stop, Dustin Johnson said, “I think growing the game is very important,” and added that the Asian Tour “continues to expand golf’s reach by playing all over the world, playing in places like this really helps.” Flushing It later commented that the impact LIV has had on the Asian Tour “cannot be ignored. It’s huge.”

The combined effect of the 72-hole transition and the International Series mandate will shape how LIV’s players approach 2026. The changes increase competitive weeks, add ranking pathways, and expand global exposure while introducing heavier travel and fuller schedules. 

The 2026 changes are only the beginning. Keep up with evolving storylines, ranking implications, and the impact on LIV’s global landscape throughout the season.

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Joyita Das