Saudi Arabia will host professional match racing’s biggest moment yet this November when the World Match Racing Tour and Women’s World Match Racing Tour Finals arrive at Amaala Yacht Club for the first time, staged back-to-back.
The double-header marks a watershed for women’s competitive sailing. For the first time, both world finals will run consecutively with identical $200,000 prize purses. The women’s event represents the largest prize ever awarded for an all-female sailing competition, signalling a genuine shift in how the sport values its female competitors.
Match racing strips sailing back to its essence: two identical boats, head-to-head tactical duels where crew work and decision-making under pressure separate winners from the rest. It rewards composure, boat handling, and the ability to read wind and current in real time. The Red Sea’s pristine waters and reliable trade winds will provide an unforgiving stage for November’s battles.
James Pleasance, Executive Director of the World Match Racing Tour, said the simultaneity matters deeply. “Not only is it the first time both world match racing tours will be hosted together, but I am particularly proud of our shared vision and achievement with Amaala in announcing the first-ever 100 per cent equal prize money across the open and women’s world tours.”
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour, launched in 2022 to continue the legacy of the Women’s International Match Racing Series, has grown into a serious professional circuit. Defending champions Match in Pink, the crew of skipper Pauline Courtois alongside Laurane Mettraux, Maelenn Lemaitre, Claire Pruvot and Louise Acker, will defend their title from 2 to 7 November. The men’s final follows from 9 to 14 November, with defending champion Ian Williams and his crew seeking to reclaim the crown.
Adrian Peet, General Manager of Amaala Yacht Club, placed the event within Saudi Arabia’s broader sailing ambitions. “Hosting the Finals demonstrates the club’s commitment to the sport and our ambition to support the growth of sailing in the region and establish the Red Sea as the leading destination for yachting. Bringing the Finals together for the first time makes the occasion even more significant. We look forward to welcoming the world’s best match racers to Amaala and showcasing everything this extraordinary destination has to offer.”
Both winners will be crowned 2026 Match Racing World Champions by World Sailing, the sport’s international governing body. The WMRT, operating since 2000, has distributed over USD24 million in prize money across more than two decades, forming a genuine career pathway for professional sailors globally. That equal purses now extend to the women’s circuit signals the tour’s maturation as a professional series.
Amaala itself positions match racing within a larger yachting strategy. The Red Sea venue opens in autumn 2026 alongside a 119-berth marina and RYA-certified sailing academy, with The Ocean Race scheduled to call in 2027. Match racing on these waters offers something rare: elite professional sport at a location designed to nurture grassroots sailing participation simultaneously.
