The first pre-regatta of the 38th America’s Cup took place off Cagliari (Sardinia) from May 21 to 24, 2026. In sometimes challenging conditions, Luna Rossa set the pace, while Tudor Team Alinghi used the event primarily to analyze its own level of development and assess the remaining effort until the next leg in Naples in September.
Eagerly awaited kick-off in Sardinia
The 38th America’s Cup was officially opened with this first regatta from May 21 to 24. The venue for the first Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta of the new cycle was Cagliari. Even though no decisive points have yet been awarded for the 2027 edition, the meeting provided a revealing first impression of the balance of power.
A total of eight AC40s were on site: Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa with two crews, GB1, Athena Pathway, La Roche-Posay Racing Team and Tudor Team Alinghi. The two most recently confirmed Challengers, American Racing Challenger Team USA and Team Australia, have not yet been seen on the water, but their participation underlines the increasingly international character of the field of participants. Australia’s return is particularly symbolic: more than forty years after the historic triumph of Australia II in 1983, the country wants to play a significant role in the America’s Cup once again.
