Kick starting the Cup with fleet racing

The Conditions Governing the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series and the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Match in Naples have been issued by the Regatta Director, Iain Murray, and reveal an opening series of six fleet races in the AC75.

The seven AC75s confirmed for the regatta will come together in the ultimate showcase of high-performance sailing on the Bay of Naples and promises to be a spectacle unrivaled in sailing.

Racing in the opening Group Stage 1 begins on May 22, 2027 with three fleet races planned before the action continues on May 23, 2027 for the conclusion of the Stage. It will be the first time that AC75 yachts have raced together on the same racecourse in a fleet race format.

The competition to select the Challenger that will face Emirates Team New Zealand in the Match, then continues with one-on-one match-races in pairs from May 26, 2027 with the opening Round Robin consisting of 21 races over three days through to May 28, 2027.

The Defender will join the racing from the Fleet Races through to the end of the third Round Robin, but the Defender results will not be used in the final Challenger standings.

There’s no let up for the teams though as the regatta continues at pace, with the second Round Robin getting underway immediately over May 29-30, 2027 and concluding on May 31, 2027, where again another 21 match races are scheduled.

The teams will be given a week off from June 1-8, 2027 ahead of the final Round Robin from the June 9-11, 2027, with 21 match races again planned for the teams as they go head-to-head for a place in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals.

At the conclusion of Group Stage 2, the end of the third Round Robin, the top three Challengers automatically progress to the Semi-Finals, and the remaining three Challengers will compete in Group Stage 3, the ‘Repêchage’ where a coveted place in the semi-finals will be fought for over a series of match races on the weekend of June 12-13, 2027.

Once the semi-finalists are decided, the series gets underway with white-hot action from the June 16-20, 2027 (with a reserve day on the June 21, 2027) to decide who will contest the Louis Vuitton Cup Final. It’s now the business-end of the regatta and the scoring is simple: 13 races scheduled, first to seven wins the right to challenge for the America’s Cup.

The stakes could not be higher and the scheduled series, if it goes the distance begins on the weekend of the June 26-27 and could finish over the following weekend, July 3-4, 2027.

The triumphant winner will lift the spectacular Louis Vuitton Cup trophy and proceed on to face Emirates Team New Zealand. The schedule is kind with a minimum of five days before the start of the Match which begins over the weekend of the July 10-11, 2027. Again, it’s first to score seven race wins, and with a battle-hardened Challenger, Naples could be the closest Match since San Francisco in 2013.

Should the Match go the distance, the final day is scheduled for Monday July 19th but the Race Director reserves the right to extend should the weather play its hand, and racing is cancelled at any point. Italy will bear witness to history in the making in 2027 as the sights, sounds and unique atmosphere of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup plays out in the Bay of Naples.

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

Defender New Zealand and Challenger of Record from Great Britain confirmed the Protocol for the 38th America’s Cup on August 12, 2025. The close of the initial entry period was October 31, 2025, with late entries considered up to March 31, 2026.

Current entrants:
• Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) – Defender
• Athena Racing (GBR) – Challenger of Record
• Luna Rossa (ITA) – Challenger
• Tudor Team Alinghi (SUI) – Challenger
• La Roche-Posay Racing Team (FRA) – Challenger
• American Racing Challenger Team USA (USA) – Challenger
• Team Australia (AUS) – Challenger

After the 2024 event, Barcelona, Spain declined hosting another edition, with the venue moved to Naples, Italy. Challenger racing is May 22 to July 4 before the 38th Match on July 10-19. Full details.

Preliminary Regattas:*
May 22-24, 2026 – Cagliari, Italy
September 24-27 – Naples, Italy

* The Protocol noted how there would be as many Preliminary Regattas as possible, with the intent to have three during 2026 and one possibly in early 2027, and a final event at the Match Venue immediately prior to the challenger series. Only two have been thus far revealed.

Source: America’s Cup