America's Cup Sailing

Welcome to the 37th America’s Cup taking place between August and October 2024 in the beating heart of beautiful Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and one of the most visited cities on planet Earth. Situated around Port Vell and along the beach to Port Olimpic, the sailing world has made Barcelona their home for what promises to be one of the most intense America’s Cups in the event’s 174-year history.

WHAT IS THE AMERICA'S CUP: THE RACE WITH NO SECOND PLACE

It is the oldest international sporting trophy – dating back to 1851 – and stands as one of the hardest sporting endeavours. The New York Yacht Club, one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, held the trophy for 132 years before losing it in 1983 to Australia. Since then, the Cup has only been won by teams from the United States, Switzerland and New Zealand. The current Defender of the America's Cup is Emirates Team New Zealand, representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

BARCELONA, CATALONIA, SPAIN

“Like a jewel in the sun” was how Montserrat Caballé and Freddy Mercury described Barcelona in their famous song about the city. The cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region–known worldwide for its art, architecture and vibrancy–is shining even brighter as preparations are well underway to welcome the 37th America’s Cup and its teams.

All the teams’ bases will be located within the Port Vell area and surrounded by the America’s Cup Village where tens of thousands of spectators can be accommodated daily. The racecourse, just outside the port entrance breakwaters, is set in front of significant fan zones, beach viewing platforms and a hospitality area to provide the perfect vista.

WHEN: AUGUST – OCTOBER 2024

The 37th America's Cup Official Opening Ceremony will be held in Barcelona on the 22nd of August 2024. The Final Preliminary Event and the Challenger Selection Series will follow, leading up to the America's Cup Match starting on the 12th of October 2024. During 2023 and early 2024, three preliminary events will be held in Vilanova i La Geltrú, Jeddah, and Barcelona. In June 2023, all teams set up their bases and are training in Barcelona. Further details and race schedules will be published in due course.

WHO’S RACING: EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND, INEOS BRITANNIA, ALINGHI RED BULL RACING, LUNA ROSSA PRADA PIRELLI, NYYC AMERICAN MAGIC AND ORIENT EXPRESS RACING TEAM

The holders of the America’s Cup are Emirates Team New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, but some strong competition is coming for them. INEOS Britannia, the ‘Challenger of Record’ from the United Kingdom, are in charge of the Selection Series to decide who will race against New Zealand for the trophy. The unique format of the Cup sees the Defender of the trophy automatically entitled to race in the final ‘Match’ whereas the Challengers will undertake a series to find the top yacht to take on the New Zealand team. Confirmed entries are: Alinghi Red Bull Racing from Switzerland, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli from Italy, American Magic New York Yacht Club from the USA and Orient Express Racing Team from France.

WHAT BOATS:

AC75 AND AC40

The AC75s are the pinnacle of foiling monohull yachts. Created for the 36th America’s Cup, they are a technological leap ahead of typical yachts as Formula 1 is to your daily driver. With foils that lift them out of the water and enable the yachts to generate so much momentum that they sail 4 x faster than the wind.

For the 37th America’s Cup, the second generation of the AC75s will be even faster with wider foils and refinements all over. Eight crew will be aboard and some of the finest sailing talent will be charged with racing them.

The AC40s, meanwhile, are the boats used for the Youth and Puig Women's America’s Cup events and as training vessels for the main teams competing in the 37th America’s Cup. Smaller but no less potent, with a four-person crew, these pocket-rockets were launched to much fanfare in September 2022, and their performance has been astonishing.

EVENT FORMAT

The 37th America’s Cup will comprise several events that will eventually culminate in October 2024’s Match. The Preliminary Regattas will serve as warm-up races ahead of the Challenger Selection Series, which decides who moves on and faces the Defender for the ultimate prize. The very best female and youth athletes from around the world will be thrust into America’s Cup level racing for the Youth and Puig Women's America's Cup events, paving the pathway to the future of the America’s Cup itself.

Preliminary Regattas

There will be three Preliminary Regattas, the first two in Vilanova i la Geltrú and Jeddah raced in the AC40s, the last one in Barcelona with the AC75s. The format, scoring and Preliminary Regatta conditions for each Preliminary Regatta will be published in due course.