Denmark’s Jeppe Borch and his Borch Racing crew of Thor Malthe Andersen, Sebastian Wright Olsen and Matias Rossing claimed the 2026 Macao Match Cup today, edging Sweden’s Oscar Engström 3–2 in a thrilling five‑race final.
After a week of light-air challenges on the Macao River, the breeze built to a steady 10–12 knots for the final day, delivering the pace and drama the event had been expecting.
The semi-finals earlier in the day set the stage: Sweden’s Oscar Engström battled past young American Christian Prendergast in a back-and-forth duel that finished 3–2 in Engström’s favour, while Borch powered through Johnie Berntsson with a decisive 3–0 victory.
The final was a rollercoaster. Borch raced to a 2–0 lead, looking poised to close out the title, but Engström mounted a spectacular comeback to level the match 2–2 and force a winner‑takes‑all decider.
The fifth race was intense from the pre‑start; Engström’s attempted hook clipped Borch’s stern and drew an umpire penalty. Borch capitalised, holding the lead through a late gust and crossing the line to seal the championship and the USD 30,000 first prize.
“It was nerve‑wracking,” Borch said. “Winning the first two races, then losing the next two made the decider a real mental test. Huge credit to the boys for keeping the boat fast when it mattered. It’s been an incredible week in Macao.”
Oscar Engström earned a hard‑fought runner‑up spot, repeating his strong form at the 2025 WMRT Final in Shenzhen in January where he also finished runner-up to the nine time match raving world champion Ian Williams from Great Britain.
Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson took third overall after defeating Christian Prendergast 2–1 in the Petit Final.
The World Match Racing Tour now moves on to Long Beach, California, for the Congressional Cup at Long Beach Yacht Club, 29 April-3 May.
| Place | Country | Skipper | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEN | Jeppe Borch | Thor Malthe Andersen, Sebastian Wright Olsen, Matias Rossing |
| 2 | SWE | Oscar Engström | Filip Karlsson, Rasmus Alnebeck, Emil Wolfgang |
| 3 | SWE | Johnie Berntsson | Johan Bäckström, Wilhelm Eriksson, Olof Lundgren |
| 4 | USA | Christian Prendergast | Sam Gilmour, Graeme Spence, Connor Mashlan |
| 5 | FRA | Aurélien Pierroz | Clément Michel, Sébastien Riot, Aurelien Barthelemy, Kenza Coutard |
| 6 | NZL | Nick Egnot-Johnson | Sam Barnett, Zak Merton, Chris Main |
| 7 | FRA | Ian Garreta | Fleury Damien, Bertheau Simon, Girodeau Vicenç, Amandine Le Van Jacob |
| 8 | AUS | Cole Tapper | Jack Frewin, Hamish Vass, Max Brennan |
| 9 | AUS | Tom Picot | Frank Lavenant, Yann Rigal, Louis Taylor |
| 10 | AUS | Zac West | Dan Little, India Gilbert, James Hayhoe, Lauren Tandy |
| 11 | AUS | Marcello Torre | Vassilis Katsaitis, Xavier Bates, Adam Brenz-Verca |
| 12 | IRL | Ruairi Finnegan | Tadgh Donnelly, Matthew Cotter, Ryan Fitzgerald |
