Ian Williams to miss Congressional Cup

After the opening event in China, the World Match Racing Tour now moves to the USA for the 2026 Congressional Cup on April 29-May 3 in Long Beach, CA. However, a scratch in the announced line-up has the seemingly ageless Ian Williams from Great Britain no longer participating.

Williams, a nine-time World Match Racing Champion and five-time Congressional Cup winner, had competed at the Long Beach event thirteen times, donning his first Crimson Blazer in 2011. No reason was given for Williams who is to be replaced by French skipper Aurélien Pierroz.

Currently ranked fifth in the world by World Sailing, Pierroz sits just behind fellow Frenchman and Congressional Cup invitee Ian Garreta. He is a two-time French Youth Match Racing Champion (2021, 2022) and claimed the Open French Match Racing Championship title in 2023.

Among his standout achievements is a third-place finish at the WMRT Final in Shenzhen, the 2025 championship event of the World Match Racing Tour.

This will mark Pierroz’s first appearance at the Congressional Cup. However, he is no stranger to Long Beach, the venue, or the Congressional Cup’s iconic Catalina 37 fleet. He enters the event as a serious contender, having finished fourth at last year’s Ficker Cup and sixth in 2024.

2026 Congressional Cup Skippers
1. Chris Poole, Riptide Racing, USA (World ranking #1)
2. Cole Tapper, Kairos Racing, AUS (World ranking #2)
3. Johnie Berntsson, Berntsson Sailing Team, SWE (World ranking #3)
4. Ian Garreta, Med Racing, FRA (World ranking #4)
5. Aurélien Pierroz, Match Again by NET, FRA (World ranking #5)
6. Eric Monnin, Capvis Swiss Match Racing, SUI (World ranking #7)
7. Christian Prendergast, A Team, USA (World ranking #10)
8. Jeppe Borch, Borch Match Race Team, DEN (World ranking #13)
9. Ficker Cup 1st Place TBC
10. Ficker Cup 2nd Place TBC

World Sailing rankings as of March 1, 2026

Congressional Cup: https://thecongressionalcup.com/

Tour details – 2026 schedule – Facebook

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The winner of the WMRT each year is crowned the Match Racing World Champion. For tour format, click here.

Source: WMRT