Brazil dominates 2026 Optimist Worlds

The 2026 Optimist World Championship marked a historic milestone for youth sailing, bringing together 284 sailors under 16 years old from a record-setting 70 nations for the racing on June 20-27 in Tangier, Morocco.

This was also a landmark moment for sailing in Africa, as it was only the second time the World Championship had been hosted on the continent, returning to Africa 30 years after the 1996 edition held in Langebaan, South Africa.

Manuel Bragança of Brazil dominated the series, winning the title by 24 points over Elliot Novara of Switzerland in second while Andrei Zhakhov of Malta finished third overall.

Ines Mendez-Larminaux of Puerto Rico was the top female sailor, finishing sixth overall. The female podium was completed by Margaux Nguyen-Minh of Hong Kong in second (14th overall) and Mara Peñalver of Spain in third (20th overall).

The Team Race World title was won by Spain for the third consecutive year while the top national team was Brazil, which is calculated using the four best-ranked sailors from each eligible nation. The top North American countries were Puerto Rico (6th), Canada (11th), and USA (12th).