The highest level of ocean sailing already has a clear shape for its biggest event. The organisers of the 38th America's Cup have released the conditions that will govern the next edition, and confirmed what many sailors expected: for the first time, the decisive phases of yachting's most traditional competition will be contested in Italy, with Naples hosting both the Louis Vuitton Cup and the final Match.
How the competition will unfold
According to the document released by regatta director Iain Murray, the competition will have an opening series of six fleet races sailed in the AC75s, the foiling monohulls that fly over the water at impressive speeds and have turned the America's Cup into a spectacle of technology and naval engineering.
The calendar foresees the group stage beginning in May 2027, moving on to the Louis Vuitton Cup, the qualifier that decides which challenger will face the current champion. The decider, the Match of the 38th America's Cup, is scheduled for 10 to 18 July 2027, in Naples.
The teams in contention
The edition brings together some of the biggest names in world yachting. Entrants include Emirates Team New Zealand (current champion and defender), Athena Racing (challenger of record), Italy's Luna Rossa, Switzerland's Tudor Team Alinghi, France's La Roche-Posay Racing Team, American Racing (USA) and Team Australia.
Among them, Luna Rossa carries a special meaning: as well as racing at home, the Italian team will complete 30 years of history in 2027 and will contest its seventh America's Cup campaign. Fittingly, the team recently renewed its partnership with UNESCO for ocean protection, taking the environmental cause onto its very sails.
Far beyond the regatta
The America's Cup is, at the same time, elite sport and one of the planet's greatest technological showcases. Each AC75 concentrates the most advanced developments in hydrodynamics, composite materials, aerodynamics and automation, innovations that, over time, end up influencing the entire marine industry.
Bringing the decider to Naples also turns the competition into a huge Ocean Economy engine: hospitality, tourism, gastronomy, transport, broadcasting, technology and specialised services are all set in motion by an event that draws millions of spectators around the world. When sailing reaches this level, it stops being just a sport and becomes economic, cultural and territorial development.
With information from the America's Cup (Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup).
By: Redação Mundo Mar
Photo: Giulia Caponnetto / Luna Rossa
