How Many Fans Are At The 2026 Solheim Cup?

Fans at the Solheim Cup — The Solheim Cup attracts huge numbers of fans, but how many will attend the 2026 edition?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The first Solheim Cup, which was held at Florida’s Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in 1990, was a humble affair, to say the least.

Held a week before Thanksgiving, it is estimated that fewer than 3,000 fans attended the three days of action, as Kathy Whitworth’s eight-player team made light work of Mickey Walker’s Europeans, beating them 11.5-4.5.

It’s safe to say a lot has changed in the ensuing 36 years and, as the Solheim Cup celebrates its 20th edition at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, it is firmly established as one of the biggest events in the game.

The 1990 Solheim Cup — The inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990 was sparsely attended

Nowadays, the build-up to the biennial match is an event in itself, with TV coverage of the captain’s picks and press conferences involving all the key figures, from the assistant captains to the players.

Of course, the contest itself is also widely televised, with the Solheim Cup broadcast in more than 155 territories, reaching around 620 million homes.

Given its status as the women’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup, it’s not surprising that huge crowds will also cheer on the teams in 2026, but how many are expected throughout the week?

It is reported that around 80,000 fans from over 40 countries will attend the 2026 Solheim Cup.

That’s just shy of 15,000 more than attended the previous edition held in Europe, when the hosts retained the trophy following a 14-14 tie with the US at Finca Cortesin in Spain. On that occasion, the confirmed attendance figure was 65,010.

Fans watch the Solheim Cup in Spain — More than 65,000 fans attended the 2023 Solheim Cup

While the estimated attendance figure for 2026 is impressive, it doesn’t beat the number of spectators who flocked to Gleneagles in 2019, with around 90,000 fans in attendance that week.

Meanwhile, the 80,000 expected at Bernardus Golf can't eclipse figures at recent US matches either.

Around 150,000 spectators were reportedly expected at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia in 2024, although an official attendance figure does not appear to have been published.

Therefore, the confirmed record belongs to the 2021 Solheim Cup at Inverness Club in Ohio, where more than 130,000 fans attended over the week, surpassing the previous record of 124,426 set in 2017 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa.

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Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.