It’s one of professional golf’s greatest feelings – when that precious envelope with the Augusta National logo comes through the door.
It signals an invite to the Masters Tournament and a precious chance to tee it up at the year’s first major among the pine trees and azaleas.
Though the Masters is an invitational event, there are a number of different criteria to qualify – and the early spring often becomes a race as players try to book their spots.
Much like the other three major championships, Augusta National hasn’t restricted the playing rights of those who have moved to LIV Golf.
The US Open and The Open did quite the opposite. In 2025, the top LIV player who finished in the top three of LIV’s individual rankings who wasn’t already exempt got into the 2025 US Open, and this extended to the top five through LIV’s Dallas event for 2025 The Open.
The Masters and the PGA Championship haven’t added a LIV Golf category yet. The Masters can invite players when they see fit like they did with Joaquin Niemann, Ryo Hisatsune and Thorbjorn Olesen in 2025.
Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, and the 2023 champion Jon Rahm are among a handful of players eligible for the tournament from the LIV Golf roster, and they also attend the Champions Dinner as well.
Rory McIlroy completed the Grand Slam in 2025 after one of the most dramatic Masters tournaments ever. Despite making two double-bogeys in the final round, he reached a playoff with Justin Rose and won on the first playoff hole.
He went to his knees after holing a birdie putt, winning the Masters on his 17th attempt and the grand slam of all four majors on the 11th attempt.
McIlroy has a Green Jacket and will be allowed to play in the Masters for as long as he likes. So, what we can do now is look ahead to 2026 and build the Masters field in our own countdown to next year’s event.
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Using the current criteria for Masters qualification that was used in 2025, we have the current Masters field for 2026 and will gradually add to it based on the various ways you can make it into the field.
Here is also a list of notable players who are not yet eligible, but still could play:
Louis Oosthuizen, Joaquin Niemann, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Rasmus Hojgaard, Nicolai Hojgaard
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On August 26, 2025, it was announced that the winners of the Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open and the South African Open would earn a spot at the Masters.
2026 Masters field – These are the players eligible to play next in 2026
Akshay Bhatia
Keegan Bradley
Jacob Bridgeman
Sam Burns
Angel Cabrera
Brian Campbell
Patrick Cantlay
Wyndham Clark
Corey Conners
Fred Couples
Jason Day
Harris English
Ethan Fang (must remain an amateur)
Matt Fitzpatrick
Tommy Fleetwood
Ryan Fox
Chris Gotterup
Ben Griffin
Harry Hall
Tyrrell Hatton
Russell Henley
Jackson Herrington (must remain an amateur)
Brandon Holtz (must remain an amateur)
Viktor Hovland
Mason Howell (must remain an amateur)
Sungjae Im
Zach Johnson
Naoyuki Kataoka
Kurt Kitayama
Michael La Sasso (must remain an amateur)
Fifa Laopakdee
Haotong Li
Shane Lowry
Robert MacIntyre
Tom McKibbin
Maverick McNealy
Andrew Novak
Jose Maria Olazabal
Carlos Ortiz
Marco Penge
Aldrich Potgeiter
Patrick Reed
Davis Riley
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Justin Rose
Xander Schauffele
Charl Schwartzel
Vijay Singh
J.J. Spaun
Sepp Straka
Nick Taylor
Bubba Watson
Mike Weir
Danny Willett
Tiger Woods
Cameron Young
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Past champions invited who are unlikely to play:
Fuzzy Zoeller
Ian Woosnam
Bernhard Langer
Tiger Woods
Tom Watson
Craig Stadler
Gary Player
Mark O’Meara
Jack Nicklaus
Larry Mize
Sandy Lyle
Trevor Immelman
Raymond Floyd
Nick Faldo
Ben Crenshaw
Charles Coody
Tommy Aaron
How do you qualify for the Masters?
An invitation to play at Augusta National Golf Club is a dream come true for any golfer. But how do you qualify for the Masters and what are the rules behind Masters qualification? The Masters Committee don’t just hand these out for fun, you know?
There are, in fact, 20 different ways to get in – and we’ve broken them all down right here.
Now have your say
What do you make of this year’s Masters field? Who might be donning the Green Jacket in April? Let us know by leaving a comment on X.
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NOW READ: How can you play Augusta National?
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