The Solheim Cup teams are all set with the finalization of the American team last week. Leading into the competition, we will rank all 24 players in the Solheim Cup for both teams, continuing with Carlota Ciganda
Much of the old guard of the European Solheim Cup team is now gone. Like the Americans experienced about seven years ago, there is new blood coming in at a rapid rate. Anna Nordqvist, Emily Pedersen, Caroline Hedwall and Georgia Hall have all been fixtures on the team. Players that even at their worst form, were selected to wear the blue and yellow.
That leaves, really, just two players for this team, Charley Hull and Carlota Ciganda.
Despite a somewhat disappointing LPGA Tour resumé, just three LPGA Tour wins and no major titles, Ciganda has been a staple of this team since 2013. Like Justin Rose on the European side, that doesn’t feel like it is ending any time soon.
Ciganda still shows solid form, she qualified for this team automatically, won the Meijer LPGA Classic in 2025, has had four LET wins since 2020 and still hits the ball long and plays well from tee-to-green.
Across her seven appearances on the European Solheim Cup team, Ciganda is a bit erratic, but evens out to a winning record at 12-11-4. Ciganda has two undefeated showings in her career and is viewed as one of the most dependable, clutch players. Its likely that nobody on either team cares more about this event than the 36-year-old from Spain.
There’s nobody across these two teams that is more likely to be a future captain of their squad, and she displays that leadership as a player. And to the Americans, especially the majority of them who like to play fast, she is an absolute pest that nobody wants to see on the other side of that pairing sheet.
The issue? Consistency. Ciganda has had good bursts in 2026, a top 15 at Chevron, Top 10s in Las Vegas and Mexico and a solid bounce back in Canada after a rough stretch. On the flipside, Ciganda has missed over half her cuts, including at each of the last four majors of the year. That inconsistency this season mirrors her inconsistency in this event.
Almost regardless of how Ciganda performs on the course, she should still be a net positive for the European Team for her passion and leadership.
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