Future British Open locations: Host courses, schedule for Open Championship in 2026, 2027 and beyond

The British Open continues to make rounds across the British Isles, with Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush handed hosting responsibilities for the first time since 2019.

The Claret Jug beckons for another United Kingdom landmark in 2026. There are nine options to pick from, each glistening with history, verve and treacherous bunkers.

We likely won’t see a contest take place at Royal Portrush again until the 2030s. But just what places could be called upon to fill its void in the coming few years? Here’s what we know about the sites for the next few British Opens.

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Where is the British Open in 2026?

The British Open will be played at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England in 2026, one of its most familiar venues.

The 2026 tournament represents the 11th in the course’s history. All have come since 1954; Royal Birkdale hosts the event every six-to-seven years, on average.

While Royal Birkdale isn’t the most iconic of British Open locales, it has shaped the competition’s history. Among the golfers to conquer the course en route to Claret Jug glory are Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Peter Thomson and Lee Trevino. It has also hosted six Women’s British Opens, two Ryder Cups, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup.

Jordan Spieth was the last man to claim British Open gold at the site, doing so in 2017. He bested runner-up Matt Kuchar by three strokes to pick up the title, his most recent major championship.

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Future British Open locations

The Claret Jug will return to northwest England in 2026—just two years after it touched down on Liverpool. Royal Birkdale will host the 2026 iteration of the event, its first time handling the event since 2017. Spieth downed all foes to secure his third career major.

The R&A also earmarked its 2027 venue. The 155th British Open will take place at St. Andrews, one of the most famous grounds in all of golf.

Here’s a look at where the golf major will be staged in each of the next two years:

2026: Royal Birkdale

Built in 1889, Royal Birkdale is one of the United Kingdom’s most venerable golf landmarks. Sporting a Par-70 course configuration that spans some 7,156 yards, Royal Birkdale has become a tournament favorite over the years; it has hosted 10 British Opens thus far, with the most recent coming in 2017. That’s the second-highest tally among venues since its 1954 debut, only bested by St. Andrews.

The course teems with artistic flair. The clubhouse is art deco, marked by a pallor white hue that falls upon its surface. Reimagined by three generations of Hawtree family course architects, Royal Birkdale’s sunken valleys and harrowing sand dunes can make for captivating viewing.

2027: St. Andrews

The 2027 iteration of the British Open will return to its favorite site, the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Commonly regarded as the oldest course in the world, St. Andrews is hounded by ghosts. The 7,305-yard Par-72 is one of the sport’s most famous grounds, marked by its rolling hills, seaside views and lush greens.

“The Home of Golf” has seen a handful of adjustments over the years; a cadre of architects has been enlisted over the years to craft the current iteration of the course, including Daw Anderson, Allan Robertson, Old Tom Morris and Martin Hawtree.

It’s a course steeped in history—golf was banned on the links during the 15th century, while the course went bankrupt in 1797, leading to a war between golfers and rabbit farmers that took hold of courtrooms and battlefields alike for 20 years.

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Holes No. 17 (Road Hole) and No. 14 (“Hell Bunker”) are renowned for their daunting nature. So too are the obstacles which spill onto and around the green, from the Swilcan Burn (a sweeping waterway that flows across the course) to Grannie Clark’s Wynd (the paved thoroughfare that creates challenges for players).

The Old Course at St. Andrews is a monstrosity. Players wouldn’t have it any other way.

Full list of venues that host British Open

Fourteen different courses have hosted the British Open. Presently, the tournament rotates between 10 locations, with St. Andrews the most common slate—it hosts the contest roughly every five years. The other nine venues whirl and twirl 

Below is a look at the 10 modern courses that have staged the British Open and when each last played host to the event.

And below are the four sites that have hosted the British Open previously, but no longer do.