The Bonallack & Patsy Hankins Trophies get underway on Wednesday at Al Hamra Golf Club in the UAE.
24 of Europe's brightest amateur talents have travelled to Ras Al Khaimah for three days of competition against Asia-Pacific's best.
Two separate matches will be contested from Wednesday to Friday in the UAE this week. The men, led by former Jacques Léglise Trophy captain, Joachim Fourquet (FRA) will compete for the Bonallack trophy while Myrte Eikenaar's (NED) women contest the Patsy Hankins trophy.
The matches follow a format almost identical to the Ryder and Solheim Cups, except with five foursomes and five fourball matches on the first two days as opposed to four. A total of 32 points are available, meaning 16.5 is the number needed to guarantee victory.
The biennial matches are being contested in January for the first time following a calendar change from the last editions in 2023 which took place in August.
That year, the European women's team lifted the Patsy Hankins Trophy for the first time and will look to retain it come Friday afternoon. The European men's side fell just short at La Manga some 18 months ago, losing out to Asia-Pacific by just two points. Having also lost in Qatar in 2018, Joachim Fourquet's team will have the task of ending the Asia-Pacific winning streak this year.
Reigning US Amateur Champion, Jose Luis Ballester (ESP) and World Amateur Number-One, Lottie Woad (ENG) will lead the charges for the European sides.
On the home teams, Mirabel Ting (MYS) is the highest ranked player on the women's team at number-four globally, while Thailand's Phichaksn Maichon, currently 23rd in WAGR, will hope to lead the Asia-Pacific men's side to a third straight victory.
The contests are set to get underway with foursomes matches on Wednesday morning, followed by five fourball matches in the afternoon.
