America’s Cup racing returns to Cagliari waters
The first real waypoint on the road to the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup is now locked in. The Region of Sardinia and the City of Cagliari will host the opening Preliminary Regatta from 21 to 24 May 2026, with racing staged in the Gulf of Angels, directly in front of the Port of Cagliari.
It matters because this is where teams finally line up together. Training tells you plenty. Racing tells you the rest.
AC40 foilers put crews under pressure early
Five teams are currently entered for the event. Each can race up to two AC40 one design foiling yachts, with one boat per team allocated to Women’s and Youth America’s Cup sailors.
The format is built for sharp outcomes. The early days run as fleet races. Then the top two boats on the scoreboard meet in a winner takes all final to decide the regatta.
The Gulf of Angels suits this regatta
Cagliari is the home base of Luna Rossa, so the venue comes with America’s Cup history baked in. More importantly, the Gulf of Angels offers the sort of open water and steady breeze that lets foiling boats race properly, rather than just hang on.
The America’s Cup organisation also say the racecourse will be visible from shore, with a race village and public screens planned along the port.
Team New Zealand
Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand, thinks that upsets could be on the cards: “From what we are seeing internally there is very little to choose between what you might call the ‘established’ sailors from the newcomers. We also know that the other teams have incredible depths of talent in their Youth & Women’s teams so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the fleet racing completely mixed and some of those next-gen talents taking big scalps. Cagliari will be incredibly interesting from a sporting perspective.”
What happens next
The main America’s Cup event will be sailed in Naples between May and July 2027, but this regatta is the first marker that will count in the public eye.
A further presentation in Naples is scheduled for 21 January 2026, with more detail expected on scheduling and event delivery.
