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The victorious 2012 captain Jose Maria Olazabal had just two wild card selections but McGinley says he has made the change in order to "give myself a little bit of extra flexibility".
The team will therefore comprise the leading five European players in the world rankings, the top four eligible players in the European order of merit points list and McGinley's three picks.
The Irishman said: "Hopefully, this will ensure I have the right players to face the examination paper that Gleneagles will set out next September.
Gleneages history a factor
"It gives me a bit of wiggle room. We could have inclement weather and it's a golf course we have played on the European Tour for at least 10 years now, so there are guys with history there, and they could potentially be picks.
"There are a number of requirements I'll be looking at in tailoring the team.
"But you only need to look at the record books to see we haven't done too badly of late, so I didn't see the need to make sweeping changes."
McGinley was asked whether the fact that just four picks would come from the European points list might diminish the European tour somewhat.
But he said: "No, I can assure you, and I'll assure the players too, that the extra pick is more aligned to identifying people playing well on the European Tour.
"If you're not in the top 50 in the world and in the top events, it's so difficult to make the team.
European form will be key
"I feel that, by having an extra pick, I can keep an eye on who is playing well in Europe. If you're performing well, week-in week-out in Europe, I'm going to be looking closely at you as a potential pick."
The opposing captains will have the same number of picks in 2014 because American skipper Tom Watson has decided to reduce his number of wild card picks from four to three.
Europe hold the trophy after they produced a memorable last-day fightback to win 14.5-13.5 last autumn at Medinah.
