Nordqvist picks Maguire and three rookies for Europe's Solheim Cup defence in the Netherlands

Captain's picks announced

Europe's Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist finalised her 12-player lineup on Monday, selecting Ireland's Leona Maguire and three rookies as her four wildcard picks for the biennial competition. The announcement, made live on Sky Sports, confirmed Spain's Julia Lopez Ramirez (23), France's Nastasia Nadaud (21) and England's Mimi Rhodes (24) will make their debuts at Bernardus Golf Club in the Netherlands from September 11 to 13.

Maguire, 31, returns for a fourth consecutive appearance despite a difficult 2026 season. She missed the cut in four of her last six tournaments, including the AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, and has fallen to 83rd in the world rankings. Her Solheim Cup record (8.5 points from 12 matches, with a 7-2-1 win-loss-half record) proved decisive.

“Leona has proved herself at the Solheim Cup, she has a huge passion for the European team and her record speaks for itself. She is a player you want on your team, especially in match play, and I'm thrilled to pick her.”

The rookie trio

Lopez Ramirez is in her second season on the LPGA Tour and her debut season on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Nadaud secured her first LET title in Andalusia late in 2025 and has made the cut at every major championship she has played in 2026. Rhodes was the LET's Rookie of the Year in 2025 after winning three times on the tour.

“It's always been a dream and goal of mine to play in the Solheim Cup. Being part of the Junior Solheim Cup in 2019 showed me what this team means, and to now be selected for the 2026 Solheim Cup is beyond anything I imagined.”

Nordqvist praised Rhodes as a "fierce competitor" and an experienced matchplay player. She described Lopez Ramirez as "a great ball-striker" who will bring energy to the team, and called Nadaud "a great young player" who has improved steadily through the qualifying period.

Automatic qualifiers

The eight automatic spots were locked in after Sunday's AIG Women's Open. England's Charley Hull and Germany's Esther Henseleit qualified via LET Solheim Cup Points, with Henseleit vaulting into position after a second-place finish at Royal Lytham. The six world-ranking qualifiers are England's Lottie Woad, Sweden's Maja Stark and Linn Grant, France's Celine Boutier, Spain's Carlota Ciganda and Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen.

Woad, 22, is another rookie on a notably young European side. The team blends that youth with the experience of Hull, Boutier, Ciganda and the returning Maguire.

Maguire's Solheim Cup pedigree

Maguire's selection comes with the backdrop of a controversy at the 2024 event in Virginia, where she played only once before the singles under captain Suzann Pettersen (a decision she called a "bitter pill to swallow"). She responded by defeating Ally Ewing 4&3 in her singles match. Her debut in 2021 yielded 4.5 points from five matches in Europe's 15-13 win in Ohio, and she was central to the 14-14 tie in Spain in 2023.

“I love the Solheim Cup, it brings the best out of my game and I love being part of the team. I can't wait to represent Europe for the fourth time and to be back on European soil.”

Nordqvist, who partnered Maguire in Spain in 2023, said she would "rather play alongside her than against her" and called the Irishwoman "such a fierce competitor".

What comes next

The United States holds the trophy after a 15.5-12.5 victory at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, in 2024. U.S. captain Angela Stanford will announce her team on August 24, following the CPKC Women's Open in Edmonton (August 20-23). Nelly Korda, Angel Yin and Jennifer Kupcho have already secured automatic spots for the Americans.