No SailGP for City of Sails

With more than 10,000 ticketed fans line the shoreline’s stadium bleachers, the second event of the 2026 SailGP season saw the league’s most spectacular crash in Auckland, New Zealand. However, despite the buzz, local government did not find the event to be a suitable investment for next season.

“SailGP’s application was assessed under the Major Events Fund (MEF) Focus Area One, which requires events to deliver net national economic benefits to New Zealand, primarily through the attraction of international visitors and/or direct event delivery expenditure,” explained Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston.

A previous offer of $5 million NZL ($2.9m US) had been accepted in principle last year, provided an agreement could be reached on dates with SailGP. But it failed to do so, and a higher amount was requested in February.

“When SailGP came to us this year, the level of investment they were asking for was greater,” said Upston. “Based on our criteria, it didn’t provide the economic impact that we would expect, and because there was time pressure involved, we declined the application for 27,” she said. “Like every area of government, we don’t have bottomless pits of money.”

All 13 teams competing in 2026 are privately owned except for New Zealand which is owned by the league. The league has held four events in New Zealand, coming to Christchurch in 2023 and 2024 and Auckland in 2025 and 2026.

SailGP information – Bermuda details – How to watch

Season 6 Results (after 4 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-5-1, 35 points
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2-2-12, 28
3. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7-1-4, 27
4. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3-3-2, 25
5. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5-9-3, 23
6. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4*-13-8, 23
7. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9-6-5, 17
8. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6-8-6, 15
9. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13-4-7, 15
10. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-11-7-9, 7
11. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10-11-10, 7
12. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8-12-13, 2
13. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12-10-11, 1
* Received compensation points for Sydney due to boat damage in Event 2.

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 which is 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), six jib sizes, 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.