Ireland
Cover photo: The R&A
The EGA is delighted to announce the Continent of Europe teams for the 2026 Jacques Léglise and Junior Vagliano Trophies, to be played together at The Island Golf Club, Ireland, on 21 and 22 August.
The two matches see the Continent of Europe’s best male junior (U18) and female junior (U16) amateur golfers take on Great Britain & Ireland. The Continent of Europe won both contests last year and will look to retain the trophies in Ireland later this month.
Selection to play in the prestigious events recognizes the players outstanding achievements in their young amateur careers. Seven of nine for the Jacques Léglise team and five of six for the Junior Vagliano team have been confirmed, with the final selections to be made following the Boys and Girls Amateur Championships, run by The R&A, next week.
JACQUES LÉGLISE TROPHY TEAM
Mathias Aase (NOR)
Gonzalo Baños (ESP)
Giampaolo Gagliardi (ITA)
Louis Klein (CZE)
Samuel Love (ESP)
Youp Orsel (NED)
Tao Pemerika (FRA)
All seven selected boys, to be joined by two final picks, are set to make their first appearance under the European flag in Ireland later this month. Among the selections are two Spanish players fresh from a gold medal performance at the European Boys’ Team Championship, Gonzalo Baños and Samuel Love.
Tao Pemerika, who recently claimed the Boys’ title at the European Young Masters, is set to be one of the younger players on the team at the age of just 16.
The team faces the task of extending the Continent of Europe's streak of six consecutive match wins. The last two editions of the match to be held in Ireland, at Ballybunion in 2017 and Portmarnock in 2012, both yielded wins for the Continent of Europe.
JUNIOR VAGLIANO TROPHY TEAM
Maria Sole Albini (ITA)
Elea Bastoni (FRA)
Lana Guyot (SUI)
Ángela Revuelta (ESP)
Kristella Sikk (EST)
Ángela Revuelta is the only returning player from last year’s victorious side in the Netherlands. The five selections, to be joined by one final player, includes recently crowned European Young Masters Girls champion, Kristella Sikk, who will become the first female player from Estonia to compete for a Continent of Europe team.
Lana Guyot will be the first player to fly the Swiss flag in the event since Albana Valenzuela in 2013.
EXPERIENCED CAPTAINS RETURN
Pierre Relecom (BEL) and Myrte Eikenaar (NED) return to captain the sides they led to victory in 2025. Relecom formerly competed in the match as a junior and has won many Belgian national titles across multiple categories. He played professionally for nine years, with a Challenge Tour victory and multiple European Tour seasons on his CV before regaining his amateur status in 2019 and will look to lead the Continent of Europe team to victory for the third straight year. The Belgian led the boys team to a convincing 15-10 victory on home soil at Royal Golf Club of Belgium last August.
A former Dutch international, Myrte Eikenaar now works for the Royal Dutch Golf Federation and has won the European Mid-Amateur Ladies' Championship twice in recent years. As a captain, she has led the Junior Vagliano Trophy team to victory three times, and also captained the European women's team to their first Patsy Hankins Trophy win against Asia-Pacific in 2023. She also led the girls team to victory on home soil in 2025, at Royal Hague Golf & Country Club.
ABOUT THE MATCHES
The Jacques Léglise Trophy is an international match played every year between elite male junior (U18) golfers from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland.
The match can trace its origins back to 1958, when a one-day match between Europe and a combined English and Scottish team was played immediately before the Boys Amateur Championship. The England and Scotland team dominated to such an extent that the match was discontinued in 1966. It was rejuvenated in 1977 when the Jacques Léglise Trophy was presented by Jean-Louis Dupont, a renowned French amateur champion and former president of the EGA and French Golf Federation, and has been played every year since.
Up until 1995 it was played over one day in connection with the Boys Amateur, and since 1996 it has been played separately as a two-day match.
The Junior Vagliano Trophy is an international match played every year between elite female junior (U16) golfers from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland.
The match was inaugurated in 2011 as a junior version of the Vagliano Trophy. It was originally played every other year, like the Vagliano Trophy, but is now played annually in parallel to the Jacques Léglise Trophy in even years and the Vagliano Trophy in odd years.
In both matches, The EGA Selects the Continent of Europe team and hosts the match when played on the Continent, while The R&A selects the GB&I team and hosts every other edition.
The contests are played in match play, with a combination of foursomes and singles matches across both days.
