LIV Golf to officially announce that Saudi funding ends after 2026 season

LIV Golf will officially announce to staff and players that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, the primary financial backer of the renegade golf tour, has officially pulled its funding at the conclusion of the 2026 season.

The official announcement, which the Wall Street Journal is reporting will take place on Thursday, should formally clear the way for O'Neill to look for other funding.

The Saudi-backed men’s golf league, which intended to compete with the PGA Tour, has reportedly lost more than $5 billion since its debut in 2022 and failed to achieve a significant television audience, especially in the U.S., where it aired on the CW Network before signing a deal with Fox, although ratings have continued to be abysmal.

A general view of LIV Golf signage is shown near the clubhouse on day three of LIV Golf Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club on June 29, 2025 in Dallas, Texas.

Rumors that PIF would pull its financial backing have been circulating for weeks and LIV's CEO Scott O'Neill confirmed as much in an interview on April 17 that the league is only funded through the rest of the season, and then he’ll “work like crazy” to keep it going. In an interview that aired during the LIV Mexico tournament, O'Neill declared, “LIV Golf is in the best shape it’s ever been in its history, period, end of sentence,” while at the same time stating that future funding was to be determined.

“The reality is you’re funded through the season and then you work like crazy to create a business plan to keep us going,” O’Neil said. “But that’s not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of mankind.”

The news comes just weeks after the PIF’s governor and primary LIV backer, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, shared a new five-year strategic plan that reprioritized the kingdom’s domestic spending and reduced its international investments.