American Magic has confirmed it will not participate in the 38th America’s Cup scheduled for 2027 in Naples.
In what will be a blow to Grant Dalton (Defender) and Ben Ainslie (Challenger of Record) who recently agreed sweeping changes in their Protocol and America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) documents for a reset of the America’s Cup.
The comments by the American team in their press release highlight the Protocol and Partnership documents, that all must agree to on entry, as the stumbling block to participation.
Doug DeVos, Team Principal of American Magic said:
“After extensive engagement with the Defender, Challenger of Record, and fellow teams, we’ve concluded that the present structure does not provide the framework for American Magic to operate a highly competitive and financially sustainable campaign for the 38th America’s Cup.”
“We care deeply about the America’s Cup and what it represents. However, for a team committed to long-term excellence, alignment around financial viability and competitive performance is essential. At this time, we don’t believe those conditions are in place for American Magic to challenge.”
The decision not to challenge by the American team will be a major set-back for the event, removing American participation from the historic event. An event that originated in the infamous victory of the New York Yacht Club’s America on 22 August 1851 in a race around the Isle of Wight UK.
To date only the Defender and Challenger of Record are known to have signed up for AC38, no other entries have been announced. Dalton and Ainslie claiming that it was for potential challengers to announce their decision.
Ainslie went so far as to guess at 4 to 7, total entries including the defender. The initial entry date closes 31 Oct 2025.
This American Magic decision leaves likely entries for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup at: Italy, France and Switzerland.
Read the full press release here . . .
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