America’s Cup news can arrive from many different outlets, depending on what that news is and who controls the area involved, . . . which is something of a moving target.
But until things settle down in the new world of a competitor controlled America’s Cup future, we will continue with the drip-feed method. Not a good look for the new America’s Cup Partnership (ACP).
We know that actual 38th America’s Cup Match race series will take place between Saturday 10 July 2027, concluding by the 18 July 2027.
Additionally we know that the first Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America’s Cup (AC38) will be from 21 to 24 May 2026, in AC40 foiling monohulls, with the racecourse set in the waters just off the Port of Cagliari, Sardinia.
In other AC38 news, we hear that the five teams already entered in the 38th America’s Cup, so presumable an ACP decision, have agreed to extend the late entry deadline, by two months to the end of March 2026, with who knows how many other extensions if required!
This must be referring to the prospective USA AC38 challenger ‘Riptide Racing’ who are attempting to raise sufficient backing to enter AC38, but maybe other teams – Australia or second Italy team – are suddenly keen to jump on board. Although the bar is set high if they are to build a new (old style AC75) yacht in the time scale available.
The Riptide team set an overall fundraising goal of $50 million for the campaign but is aiming to raise around $30 million in order to meet the event’s late entry deadline. It is a costly business for late entrants . . . Initial Entry Fee of €7,000,000 (seven million euro) and an ACPI contribution: the sum of US$25,000 (twenty-five thousand United States Dollars)
Late Challengers may also be required to pay a late entry fee to ACP calculated at the rate of €100,000 (one hundred thousand euro) per month (or part thereof) from 1 October 2025 up until the date the Late Challenge is received by the Defender and ACP (the “Late Entry Fees”).
The America’s Cup has announced the new ‘Inside America’s Cup’ series available as both a podcast and a vodcast gets you closer to the action, the people, the rumours and the gossip than ever before.
Spoiler Warning . . . The old New Zealand AC75 is available, it needs 20,000 hrs work to get it up to the new rules but if the Aussies are really looking to make a late entry, call Grant Dalton!
For this first episode, Niall Myant-Best and the team were onsite in Naples at the Palazzo Reale, interviewing the likes of Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand, Sir Ben Ainslie, Team Principal of the Challenger of Record GB1, Bruno Dubois, co-CEO of K-Challenge, Ernesto Bertarelli, Team Owner of Tudor Team Alinghi and of course, the local favourites Luna Rossa and CEO Max Sirena.
We also hear from co-helm of the winning Luna Rossa team at the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup – Margherita Porro – about her hopes and ambitions for 2027 and beyond.
The dates of the other two 2026 Preliminary events are also awaited, together with the final preliminary event in 2027 (sailed in AC75) . . . Maybe there are no other Preliminary events, we will have to wait for some sort of clarity when the new ACP gets its act together!
Also still to be announced are the dates for the Louis Vuitton Challenger’s Selection Series (Louis Vuitton Cup) that precedes the America’s Cup.
