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WPSL Group Press Release 7/11/2025

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LONDON, 7 NOVEMBER 2025

World Players Super League (“WPSL”) today announced that World Matchplay, founded and owned by Håkan Åkerlund, has formally joined the WPSL GROUP. This strategic integration connects World Matchplay’s 43,000 members across 34 countries to a single, global pathway that offers entry into bucketlist Opens on world-class championship courses while accumulating points toward an official WPSL world ranking.

The alliance unlocks both pairs matchplay and now for the first time individual world league play, with each golfer’s best nine golf rounds counting toward their season standing and qualification for the Top72 WPSL World Nations Cup Final in England—an Olympic-style event where competitors wear their national badge and vie for gold, silver, and bronze on a genuine world stage.

AMBITIOUS AMATEURS

CAN PLAY SINGLES IN 100+ TOURNAMENT ROUNDS (SEE PAGE 2).

2026 WORLD OPENS

WPSL will stage nine international Opens in 2026 (about 30 rounds of golf), including:

1. 2026 WPSL New York Open Venue:

Bethpage Black (USA, Ryder Cup Course) (Ranked 58 in World)

2. 2026 WPSL Spanish Open Venue:

Camiral Golf & Wellness (Spain, Ryder Cup Course) (Ranked 1 in North Spain)

3. 2026 WPSL Dubai Open Venues:

Majlis (No. 1 Dubai course)

Montgomerie

Yas Links (No. 1 Abu Dhabi course)

Els Club

Faldo Emirates

Al Zorah

4. 2026 WPSL Italian Open Venue:

Marco Simone (Rome, Italy, Ryder Cup Course) (Ranked 4 in Central Italy)

5. 2026 WPSL Northern Ireland Open Venues:

Royal County Down (No. 1 Course worldwide)

Portstewart (Ranked No. 3 in N. Ireland)

6. 2026 WPSL Irish Open Venues:

Ballybunion (Ranked 1 In Ireland & 31 in World)

TISSIER

&

8. 2026 WPSL England Open Venues:

Hillside (Ranked 21 in England) Formby

Southport & Ainsdale (Ranked 43 in World)

9. 2026 WPSL Wales Open Venues: North Wales GC

Maesdu GC Bull Bay GC (Leading Courses in North Wales)

Final dates, formats, and regulations will be confirmed in the

WPSL Handbook.

Trump Doonbeg (Top 4 Trump course worldwide)

Killarney Killeen (Top County Kerry Golf Course)

7. 2026 WPSL Scottish Highlands Open Venues:

Royal Dornoch (Ranked 15 in World)

Cabot Highlands (Castle Stuart) (Ranked 54 in World)

Nairn (Ranked 54 in UK & Ireland)

planet—on courses they have only dreamed of,” said Håkan Åkerlund, Founder and Owner of World Matchplay. “By joining WPSL, our 43,000 members in 34 countries gain a world pathway that rewards performance, develops skill, and celebrates the pride of representing your country. The competitive opportunities for our members have multiplied on a scale never seen before.”

WPSL’s expansion is drawing global attention.

Jason McAteer PHIL

The league itself now includes well over 2,000 committed competitors, positioning it as the largest elite-amateur league ever formed, hence it’s name ‘The Super League’.

The platform is further elevated by participation from sporting icons and international celebrities, including: Liverpool legends:

Robbie Fowler

Steve Staunton

Ronnie Whelan

Bruce Grobbelaar

Steve McMahon

Phil Babb

Substantial growth capital is being deployed to elevate and promote the WPSL platform—broadcastready, enhanced media and sponsorship, and worldclass finals experiences—making WPSL one of the most consequential developments in the sport since the emergence of LIV Golf.

Crucially, country representation sits at the heart of WPSL’s ethos. Ambitious amateurs will no longer be confined to weekly roll-ups on the same home course; instead, they will travel, test their games under pressure, and compete for national caps.

The pathway is transparent and merit-based: perform across iconic venues, let your nine best rounds define your WPSL ranking, and earn the right to compete in the World Nations Cup Final—for yourself and for your country.

Alongside its amateur focus, WPSL will also stage select showcases featuring professionals, reinforcing standards while preserving the primacy of amateur development and integrity.

“This partnership gives our players something truly special: a transparent, merit-based route into the greatest amateur tournaments on the

Manchester United legends:

Andy Cole

Teddy Sheringham

Clayton Blackmore

Arsenal legends:

Lee Dixon

David Seaman

Formula One World Champion:

Damon Hill

Multi-platinum artists:

Brian McFadden (Westlife)

Keith Duffy (Boyzone) (whose

Additional ambassadors include cricket internationals:

Gladstone Small and Laurie Evans and champion jockeys:

Richard Hughes

John (Johnny) Francome

Mickey Fitzgerald

The WPSL golf ecosystem also includes over ten Ryder Cup players and more than thirty European Tour winners, underscoring the league’s credibility

WPSL is pleased to confirm that Mark James—18time European Tour winner, seven-time Ryder Cup player, and former European Ryder Cup Captain— will chair the WPSL Strategic Board and advise on competition design, national-team pathways, and

“WPSL may be the biggest golf movement I have seen in my career,” said Mark James, WPSL Strategic Board Chair. “It brings together top-tier tournaments for ambitious amateurs—alongside select showcases with professionals—on a business platform with a proven blueprint that built a billion-pound enterprise (Xeinadin) and is now being applied to golf with WPSL. I warmly welcome Håkan Åkerlund and the World Matchplay members into WPSL.

They can now compete not only in pairs matchplay but also in singles, representing their country and the badge they wear. There is no greater feeling in our sport than playing for your country—as a former European Ryder Cup captain, I can testify to that. On a relative scale, ambitious amateurs will now experience that same pride and sense of accomplishment on a properly global stage.”

“This is about putting amateurs on a genuine world stage,” added Feisal Nahaboo, Founder of WPSL— renowned for building Xeinadin Group from £0 to an approximate £1bn valuation in seven years, one of the fastest-growing consolidators in UK history. MARK JAMES FORMER RYDER CUP CAPTAIN, PLAYED 7 RYDER CUPS AND WON 18 TIMES ON EUROPEAN TOUR

About World Players Super League (WPSL):

WPSL is a global elite-amateur golf platform that integrates blue-riband Opens, team matchplay events, and a transparent world ranking system into a single, premium pathway centred on national representation and competitive integrity.

About World Matchplay;:

World Matchplay is a global amateur golf community of 43,000 members across 34 countries, founded by Håkan Åkerlund, specialising in match-play pairs formats, accessible international competition, and crossborder engagement.

Email: hakan@worldamateurmatchrace.com feisal@europeanplayerstour.com

Website: www.worldamateurmatchrace.com www.wpslgolf.com

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WPSL Group Press Release 7/11/2025 by WAMR2022 - Issuu