Updated Sept. 8, 2026, 6:20 p.m. ET
LIV Golf has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following the end of its financial backing from the Saudi Public Investment Fund.The league plans to restructure and continue as “LIV 2.0” with a different competitive format.Changes will include expanding fields to 75 players, introducing a cut, and holding Monday qualifiers.The team format and fan experiences like music and free admission for children will remain part of the league.
LIV Golf announced on Tuesday via a news release that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a restructuring agreement aimed at preserving the league. The filing follows months of financial uncertainty after the Saudi Public Investment Fund decided earlier this year to end its backing of the venture.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil had been adamant throughout the summer that the league will continue beyond 2026 despite its fiscal hardships, and Tuesday’s announcement seems to confirm as much. But, as most expected (and O’Neil admitted), it will look a lot different than what golf fans have grown used to seeing from LIV since its inception.
Dubbed “LIV 2.0,” the league will have a different competitive format, one that more closely resembles other pro golf tours. In a “letter to fans” following Tuesday’s bankruptcy announcement, O’Neil laid out some of the main differences in the competitive structure for this next era of the league.
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The most notable change: LIV plans to expand its fields to 75 players, introduce a cut and implement Monday qualifiers, none of which were elements present in past iterations of the league. O’Neil also hinted at other “additional pathways” for players to earn their way into LIV events.
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O’Neil had previously said the league plans to host just 10 events in future seasons, but he did not include any information regarding exactly how many tournaments it plans to stage next season, instead saying simply that it “intends to continue competing across five continents with events you’ve come to expect in places like Australia, South Africa, Mexico, England, Hong Kong, and the United States.”
On a similar note, O’Neil said that more of LIV’s teams will “embrace national identities, building on the passion and momentum of World Cup-style competition.” It remains to be seen what exactly that entails, but it confirms that the team format will remain part of LIV’s competitive structure.
Other elements that make LIV unique will also remain. Children under 12 will still get free admission into LIV events, which will still feature the “music, culture and energy that make a LIV Golf weekend unlike any other,” according to O’Neil.
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek. Follow him on X/Twitter (@nickstavas).