The America's Cup has set the course for the future. Following the initiated transformation of the competition - away from the "winner takes all" mode and towards team management through the new America's Cup Partnership (ACP) - the previous year's competition for the upcoming edition in 2027 is now underway.
America's Cup: Does the reality deliver what the reorganisation promises?
Negotiations between the defending champion, Challenger of Record and all other parties involved took a year until finally the revolutionary agreement to establish the America's Cup Partnership (ACP) came about. The announcement was made at the end of December 2025, that five founding teams "have joined forcesto realise the potential of the America's Cup and introduce a professional structure and a stable sporting calendar for the 174-year-old competition".
The Cup quintet is made up of the defending champions from Emirates Team New Zealand, Sir Ben Ainslie's British Challenger of Record Athena Racing, Patrizio Bertelli's Team Luna Rossa, Ernesto Bertarelli's Tudor Team Alinghi and the French K-Challenge. Grant Dalton, CEO of the defending champions from New Zealand, promoted the new ACP and said: "It's about preserving what makes the America's Cup so exceptional while building a sustainable model that benefits everyone who shares our passion for this great competition."
"Dalt's" conviction: "We are securing the America's Cup's position at the forefront of innovation and professional sport for decades to come." The core and aim of the Cup reorganisation is to lead the competition into the modern sporting era. One of the most noticeable changes is the announced two-year cycle, which brings the Cup closer to other international sports leagues, but could also take away some of its characteristic uniqueness.
Recon comeback in the America's Cup: the official spying continues
While the joint utilisation of the event and its commercial values should strengthen the teams in the future, the presentation of the first ACP board is expected soon. The Women's and Youth America's Cup, for which most teams are already training the next generation, are part of the future plans.
While teams such as Emirates Team New Zealand, Athena Racing, Luna Rossa and the K-Challenge were still testing and training largely unobserved on their AC40 yachts in the second half of 2025 because they were not yet subject to the mandatory Recon requirements, this will change again this year with the comeback of neutral Recon observation and reporting. The Recon programme introduced in the 37th America's Cup will be continued in the 38th edition.
The official observation, photography and filming of the sailing activities of all the Cup teams continues. It begins the moment the first AC75 yacht is launched and sails. About the publication on the Cup homepage or on social networks, fans all over the world can follow developments in detail. All teams will be assigned two-person Recon teams who will follow and record activities on the water, conduct interviews on land and provide "spy shots" from the teams' headquarters.
AC75s before the restart from 16 January
Both the New Zealanders and the Italians had already completed two-boat training and testing in Auckland and Cagliari in 2025 with remarkable intensity. The Challengers of Record Athena Pathway team had their youth and women's teams sailing in the ex-Cup area of Barcelona before Christmas. Meanwhile, the K-Challenge was on the water in the crisp, cold waters of Lorient. All teams are likely to intensify their training very soon in the new year.
Behind closed doors, the design teams and boat builders have been preparing their AC75 yachts in line with the new rules in parallel with the other activities. The first possible AC75 sailing day is 16 January 2026. Nice for the Kiwis: it's summer in Auckland. The changes in the AC75 class rule for the 38th Louis Vuitton America's Cup are extensive. The most striking innovations include the new crew composition of five people, the introduction of at least one female sailor and a guest sailor on board.
Observers are expecting a wide variety of interpretations with regard to the deck superstructures. The cyclists, whose power will be replaced by adaptive smart batteries in future, have been phased out. In future, the batteries will mimic the performance of the cyclists still active in the 37th America's Cup. This will require the sailing teams to rethink and reorganise their crew constellations.
Seasoning for the pre-regattas: Can the youngsters beat the establishment?
The teams do not have much time left until the first pre-regattas on the smaller foilers of the AC40 standardised class, although the dates and venues are still open. Up to three pre-regattas will be held this year, the last one on AC75s in the Cup year. The announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
In addition to the core team for the America's Cup, each team can also enter a second AC40 with members from the youth and women's teams. This not only offers high-calibre regatta opportunities for the youngsters, but also adds extra spice to the pre-regattas themselves: What if the youth and women even outperform the establishment? The America's Cup organisers hope that this initiative will also attract a new generation of foiling sailors to the oldest and still most famous regatta in sailing.
"My nightmare and my dream at the same time!" The 38th America's Cup is coming:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
