{"id":66550,"date":"2026-05-22T13:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T17:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/?p=66550"},"modified":"2026-05-22T13:51:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T17:51:43","slug":"preliminary-regattas-of-the-38th-louis-vuitton-americas-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/en\/sports\/preliminary-regattas-of-the-38th-louis-vuitton-americas-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Preliminary Regattas of the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup: The Road to Naples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are sporting competitions, like the Canadian Grand Prix taking place this weekend in Montreal,<\/a> and then there is the America’s Cup. This is not a matter of condescendance toward other disciplines \u2014 it is simply a reality of a different nature. Since 1851, this uninterrupted competition \u2014 the oldest continuously held sporting event in the world \u2014 has never truly belonged to the ordinary register of sport. It is the business of nations that commit to it the way others commit to politics: with staggering budgets, strategic alliances, rivalries passed down from one edition to the next, and a technological obsession that regularly places competitive sailing at the forefront of global engineering. Now, it’s serious : the preliminary regattas for the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup have commenced, and the road for the Cup is now underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 38th edition, under the aegis of Louis Vuitton, will be no exception. And it begins right now \u2014 not in Naples, where the main event will be held in 2027, but on the Mediterranean waters of a resplendent Sardinia and, later in the year, in the legendary bay of Naples itself. What insiders call the “Road to Naples” is already under way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Competition Like No Other<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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The America’s Cup and the Louis Vuitton Cup
Photo: Ian Roman | America’s Cup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

To understand why the preliminary regattas of the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup deserve attention, one must first grasp what this competition has become over recent cycles. The America’s Cup was long perceived as an esoteric affair reserved for initiates \u2014 offshore races whose tactical subtleties escaped the general public. Then came the foil revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the 35th edition in Bermuda in 2017, Cup yachts literally fly. Perched on hydrofoils (foils) that lift them above the surface, they reach speeds that defy comprehension: over 50 knots for the large AC75s of the last Barcelona edition \u2014 nearly 95 kilometres per hour on water. Any comparison with actual wind speed \u2014 often three or four times slower than the boats themselves \u2014 now belongs to the past. These machines are the Formula 1 cars of the sea, designed by teams of aeronautical engineers, fluid dynamics specialists, and brilliant designers \u2014 all in the service of a handful of elite sailors capable of mastering them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 37th edition in Barcelona<\/a>, won once again by Emirates Team New Zealand against the challengers, cemented this new paradigm. The fleet races of the preliminary regattas in Vilanova i la Geltr\u00fa, Jeddah, and Barcelona captured a worldwide audience: fast, closely contested, and visually spectacular, they demonstrated that top-level sailing could rival any motorsport in dramatic intensity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 38th edition promises to push the spectacle even further. And the 2026 preliminary regattas \u2014 in Sardinia first, then Naples \u2014 are its first concrete manifestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The AC40s: Lightning Machines<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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The teams on the waters of Cagliari
Photo: Ricardo Pinto | America’s Cup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For these preliminary regattas, the teams compete on AC40s \u2014 fully standardised one-design yachts built as the younger siblings of the AC75s that will dominate the grand Naples 2027 showdown. The standardisation is total: every team receives the same boat, with no modifications permitted to the hull or appendages. Any advantage can only come from sailing, tuning, and tactical decisions made on the fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This detail changes everything when reading the results. When a crew pulls ahead of its rivals on AC40s, it is pure talent at work \u2014 not the technological superiority of a better-funded design office. This is precisely what makes these preliminary regattas so revealing for those wishing to anticipate the 2027 hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These ten-metre yachts, capable of exceeding 40 knots on their foils, carry four crew members: two helmsmen and two trimmers. At these speeds, the slightest trim disagreement or hesitation through a tack can cost several boat lengths in a matter of seconds. The teams that excel on the AC40s develop a form of collective telepathy that even the world’s best coaches have yet to fully formalise into training protocols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The regatta format is worthy of the machine. Up to eight fleet races \u2014 spread over three days \u2014 establish a preliminary ranking. The top two teams then meet in a head-to-head match race \u2014 the ultimate duel where every tactical decision can tip the result. No points will carry over to the 2027 Louis Vuitton Cup, but the psychological momentum is being built right now. A win in Sardinia or Naples at the preliminary stage sends a powerful signal to rivals \u2014 and to one’s own crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A notable feature of this 38th cycle: each team may enter a second AC40 crewed exclusively by members of their Youth and Women’s programmes. Nearly all teams are expected to take advantage of this opportunity, reflecting a genuine commitment to developing the next generation of world-class sailors. For these young competitors, racing alongside the world’s finest crews on the same water, under the same conditions, represents an unparalleled formative experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preliminary regattas of the 38th Louis Vuitton America\u2019s Cup: The Teams in Contention<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Teams competing in the preliminary regattas of the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup in Cagliari
Photo: Ian Roman | America’s Cup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Eight teams are competing in this first preliminary regatta, each with its own history, ambitions, and particular relationship with the America’s Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n