In 1851, the schooner America arrived from New York and challenged the British fleet in a 55-mile race around the Isle of Wight. It was not yet the America’s Cup as we know it: the trophy would only take that name, and acquire the history that would come with it, a few years later. But the essential ingredients were already there. An international challenge. New technology. National prestige. And, above all, a spectacular landscape as the stage for the race. In 2027, 176 years later, the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup will be held in Italy for the first time. Naples, its Gulf, Vesuvius and the waterfront will become the stage for the contest. It will be the first time Italy hosts one of the world’s most prestigious and recognisable sporting events. At stake will be the legendary Auld Mug, won by the crew that can make the AC75s fly around a compact racecourse close to shore, bringing the racing within sight of land.
The capital of Campania, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s oldest cities, has been here before. Naples hosted two America’s Cup World Series events, in 2012 and 2013. More than one million people watched the racing from the waterfront across those two weeks. For the organisers, those memories helped make Naples the natural choice as Host City for 2027. The course will sit in the waters between Castel dell’Ovo and Posillipo, with the waterfront providing a vast natural grandstand. The Gulf has its own role to play. Sea breezes can funnel along the coastline, the wind can shift, and thermal effects can come into play. The setting is not simply a backdrop. It can become part of the race itself. For Naples, though, the Cup is about more than sailing. The arrival of the America’s Cup comes with major expectations for tourism and the local economy, with the direct short-term impact estimated at around €690 million. Taking the medium- and long-term effects into account, that figure could rise above €1.2 billion. Between 1.5 and 1.7 million visitors are expected during the event, with direct tourist spending put at around €370 million. Employment is another part of the picture, with an estimated 11,000 jobs generated over the longer term.
The Cup will also feed into the city’s wider transformation. Bagnoli will become the event’s technical hub, with team bases, AC75 facilities, a marina and fan zone. On Lungomare Caracciolo, the Race Village will take shape. Sport, investment, tourism and urban regeneration will occupy the same stretch of coastline. The AC75s, the foiling monohulls at the centre of the Cup, will not arrive until 2027. The route to Naples, however, is already under way. After the first Preliminary Regatta in Cagliari from 21 to 24 May 2026, the second took place in Naples from 24 to 27 September. The teams raced AC40s, smaller boats capable of exceeding 40 knots, across eight fleet races before a match-race final between the two leading crews. The Preliminary Regattas have also allowed the teams to field women’s and youth crews alongside their main squads. The real test comes on 22–23 May 2027, with two days of Fleet Racing. For the first time, America’s Cup AC75s will race as a fleet, with all seven teams on the course at once.
From 26 May, the Louis Vuitton Cup takes over. It will determine which Challenger earns the right to face Defender Emirates Team New Zealand in the final. Three Round Robins will open the competition: 26–28 May, 29–31 May and 9–11 June. Their results will decide who moves on. The Repêchage follows on 12–13 June, with the final place in the semi-finals on the line. The semi-finals are scheduled for 16–20 June, with 21 June held as a reserve day. The two teams left standing will then meet in the Louis Vuitton Cup final, spread across the weekends of 26–27 June and 3–4 July. The winner will become the official Challenger for the 38th America’s Cup. Then comes the main event. From 10 July, the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Match will unfold in the Gulf of Naples, with Defender Emirates Team New Zealand facing the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup. The final will be a best-of-13 series. Seven wins will be enough to take the Cup. Racing is scheduled for 10–11 and 17–18 July, with 19 July kept available should the series reach a thirteenth race, within the window set by the organisers.
The boats will once again be AC75s: around seven tonnes, fitted with foils that lift them clear of the water and capable of extraordinary speeds. Five sailors will race on board, with at least one woman required among the crew, alongside a sixth person serving as a guest or passenger. Each team will be able to use and modify one hull that raced in the 36th or 37th America’s Cup, adapting it to the new rules. One of the most visible changes concerns the cyclors. In Barcelona, they generated power by pedalling. In 2027, onboard systems will instead be powered by batteries. Seven teams will line up for the 38th America’s Cup. Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, winners in Barcelona in 2024, will be joined by Luna Rossa, Italy’s flagship team, and British team GB1, led by Sir Ben Ainslie. Switzerland will return with Tudor Team Alinghi. The field is completed by France’s La Roche-Posay Racing Team, the newly formed Team Australia Challenge and American Racing Challenger Team USA.