America’s Cup: Challengers wanted – here’s how the Louis Vuitton Cup works

Until now, only the date for the showdown had been confirmed: the 38th America’s Cup match between the challenger – yet to be determined – and the New Zealand defenders. The contest is set to begin on 10 July in the new Italian Cup venue off the coast of Naples and could last until 26 July. But who will be allowed to challenge the Kiwis for the ‘Auld Mug’ in the 38th edition of the Cup?

Six teams of challengers are vying for this right; only one can win. The challengers are Sir Ben Ainslie’s British Team GB 1, Patrizio Bertelli’s Luna Rossa team (Italy), Ernesto Bertarellis’ Tudor Team Alinghi (Switzerland), the French La Roche-Posay Racing Team with the co-conductors Stephan Kandler and Bruno Dubois, Team Australia and the American Racing Challenger Team USA.

Yet even in the challenger series for the Louis Vuitton Cup, the oldest adage of the America’s Cup still holds true: “There is no second – there is no runner-up”. Only the winners of the Louis Vuitton Cup earn the right to challenge Emirates Team New Zealand for the most prestigious trophy in international sailing.

Louis Vuitton Cup: first the fleet races, then three round-robin rounds

Experienced race director Iain Murry has now announced the format and schedule for the upcoming challenger round. The races in the first group stage will begin on 22 and 23 May 2027 with six fleet races over two days. It has been billed as a weekend “unprecedented in the 175-year history of the America’s Cup”: for the first time, seven AC75 yachts will compete together on a single course.

The battle for the Louis Vuitton Cup will resume on 26 May. The competition will then continue in the classic head-to-head format: the opening round of the three-part round-robin phase (’every team against every other team’), running from Wednesday to Friday, comprises 21 races over three days up to and including 28 May 2027. Alongside the six challenger teams, New Zealand’s defending champions will be actively involved from the start of the fleet races right through to the third round-robin round. However, the results will not count towards the challengers’ final standings.

​The challengers will have no respite, as the second round-robin phase follows on almost seamlessly from the first: it begins immediately on the weekend of 29 and 30 May and ends on Monday 31 May 2027. Once again, 21 match races are on the programme. In the event of breakages or equipment problems, this is a tight schedule. Those who keep their boat and equipment in good working order will be in a strong position.

The challengers’ race for hope: more appearances, more chances

A break is scheduled for 1–8 June, before the third and final round-robin stage takes place from 9 to 11 June 2027. Once again, 21 races are planned, in which the teams will compete for a place in the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Once this three-part Group Stage 2 has concluded, the top three challengers will automatically progress to the semi-finals.

However, this edition has also taken into account those who do not finish in the top three at the end of the three round-robin stages. They are not eliminated straight away, but are given a second chance in Group Stage 3. They will be able to compete against each other once again in the ‘Repêchage’, the so-called repechage round, over the weekend of 12–13 June 2027.

In this stage, the challengers ranked fifth and sixth after the three round-robin rounds will face each other first. The higher-ranked team will receive a bonus point in advance. The team that secures three match points first will go on to compete against the fourth-placed challenger, under the same conditions, for the fourth and final semi-final place in the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Final in the battle for the Louis Vuitton Cup

Once the semi-finalists have been decided, the Challenger Series will continue from 16 June to 4 July with the semi-finals and the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup. The format and scoring system for the semi-final matches and also for the final in the battle for the Louis Vuitton Cup are designed to be easy to understand: 13 races are scheduled for each match. The first team to secure seven wins is the winner – as was the case most recently in 2024 with Team Ineos Britannia – the right to challenge the Kiwis to a duel for the bottomless jug in the 38th America’s Cup final.

The top challengers will then have at least five days to prepare for the showdown with Emirates Team New Zealand: the 38th America’s Cup match, in which seven wins are also required to claim the Cup. If the series, starting on 10 July, goes the full distance of a maximum of 13 matches, 19 July will be the final day.

Race Director Ian Murray can extend the schedule if the weather and wind throw a spanner in the works here and there, disrupting the plans for this wonderful Italian event. It is also the Cup’s debut on home soil the Azzurri, who are so keen on sailing, which gives this edition of the Cup in the Bay of Naples its very special character.

The format for the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup explained step by step: