Sailing: 37th America's Cup preview, full schedule and how to watch live as Britannia win through to face Team New Zealand
Learn everything you need to know about the 37th edition of the Americas Cup, the longest-running international sports event, taking place in Barcelona starting on October 12.
Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) and INEOS Britannia are set to compete against each other in the 37th America's Cup sailing race, the longest-running international sports event in the world, starting on October 12 in Barcelona, Spain.
INEOS Britannia, representing the Royal Yacht Squadron from the UK, are the challengers in the upcoming match. They secured their place in the finals by triumphing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, where they defeated the 2021 America's Cup finalists, Luna Rossa from Italy. This marks the first time in 60 years that a British team has participated in the America's Cup.
At the same time, ETNZ stands for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and is the reigning champion, having won the titles in both 2017 and 2021.
The competition will be held as a best-of-13 series, where the first team to win seven races will take home the America's Cup, a trophy that has been contested since 1851. The races will take place in AC75 monohull foil yachts, capable of reaching speeds exceeding 100 km/h.
Since 1851, the America's Cup has been won exclusively by teams from the United States, Australia, Switzerland, and New Zealand. Remarkably, no British team has ever claimed the trophy, even though the first race took place 173 years ago near the Isle of Wight in England.
For the first time ever, a Women's America's Cup event is happening, scheduled from October 5 to October 13.
Major Teams Competing In 2024 America's Cup
Several prominent Olympic athletes will participate in the 2024 event, with Peter Burling (ETNZ) and Ben Ainslie (INEOS) leading their respective teams as captains.
Additional Olympic champions participating are Giles Scott, Dylan Fletcher-Scott, and Blair Tuke. Also taking part are former rowing gold medalists Hamish Bond and Matt Gotrel, along with track cycling bronze medalist Simon van Velthooven.
Course Details For America's Cup 37 In Barcelona
The specific race course at Barcelona's Port Olímpic for any of the possible 13 races will vary based on the wind direction on the day of the event.
The course will stretch approximately 1.7 nautical miles (about 3.2 kilometers or 2.0 miles) in length, but there are also limitations on how wide boats can be. They must remain within a width of roughly 0.5 to 0.8 nautical miles (0.9 to 1.5 kilometers), or they will incur a penalty.
Boats will sail against the wind during the first part of the race, then with the wind on the second part, and they'll continue this pattern for a total of six segments in each race.
2024 America's Cup: Complete Match Race Schedule
On race days, the races are planned to start at approximately 2 PM local time (12:00 UTC), depending on the current wind and weather conditions.
Where To Watch America's Cup 37 In Barcelona
You can catch the America's Cup match on the official website as well as on their Facebook and YouTube channels, though there may be some location-based restrictions.
In the UK, you can catch it on TNT Sports and Eurosport. If you're in New Zealand, it's available on Stuff.co.nz as well as Warner Bros. Discovery's TV channels.
U.S. fans can catch the action on ESPN+, while viewers in Australia can watch the race events on Fox Sports.
