SailGP: Five things to watch in Sydney

The 2026 SailGP season will have its third event on February 28-March 1 in Sydney, Australia. With both France and New Zealand on the sidelines, here are five things to watch out for as Sydney Harbor welcomes 11 teams:

Aussies team to beat on home waters
The undisputed kings of the Sydney Sail Grand Prix is home team Australia who’ve won three events in five seasons and finished on the podium in all of them. But they’re not invincible as Great Britain proved in 2020 and 2025. That said, the Aussies head to Sydney top of the 2026 Season standings, buoyed by a second place finish in Perth and a win in Auckland.

Twilight racing debut
SailGP will debut evening racing for the first time ever with the action kicking off at 5.30pm local time (0630 UTC). Sydney Harbor is no stranger to twilight racing, but it’s never seen a fleet of F50s going hard at it during golden hour.

A race course like no other
The harbors tight channels and gusty wind funnels, shaped by surrounding cliffs and city skyscrapers, turn every leg into a high speed chess match played on liquid glass. Racing unfolds with a backdrop of the steel arc of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and a stone’s throw from the sail-like shells of the Sydney Opera House, giving the fleet a skyline most venues can only dream of.

13 becomes 11
The absence of two SailGP powerhouses – France and New Zealand – opens the door for rival teams to capitalize on. Look out for the U.S. SailGP Team, currently in fifth overall, to continue their run of form, while Spain will be on the hunt for Championship points after missing the opening event in Perth with boat damage.

Artemis impress
SailGP’s newest team – Artemis SailGP – now have two events under their belts, and, if they’re anything to go by, Nathan Outteridge’s outfit are going to be one to watch this season. The Swedish-flagged team are fourth overall, thanks to a fourth in Perth and a fifth in Auckland – a seriously impressive start to their SailGP campaign.

Racing will be held February 28-March 1 at 17:30-19:00 AEDT (1:30-3:00 EST)

Sydney crew lists: https://sailgp.com/news/26/revealed-full-crew-lists-sailgp-sydney-australia

SailGP information – Sydney details – How to watch

Season 6 Results (after 2 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2
3. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4
4. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5
5. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7
6. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3
7. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6
8. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9
9. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10
10. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13
11. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8
12. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-11
13. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12

Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12  – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Sept 19-20 – Geneva, Switzerland
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.

Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• All teams compete in up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All teams are privately owned except for New Zealand and Spain which are owned by the league.

Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.

F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

Source: SailGP