Ken Read will lead the American challenger Team USA at next year’s America’s Cup.
Photo: AFP
A United States team has been confirmed as an official America’s Cup challenger, finally ending uncertainty over whether an American boat would be joining the fleet in the Bay of Naples, Italy next year.
American Racing Challenger Team USA said they would represent the Sail Newport yacht club to challenge for the 38th edition of the battle for the coveted trophy, which is named after America, the US yacht which first won it in 1851.
America’s Cup organisers said last month they had received an unspecified number of late entries for Naples, after extending the deadline to encourage more teams to take part. Teams from Britain, France, Italy and Switzerland have announced they will compete to win the right to take on defenders New Zealand in July 2027, but there have been hopes others would join the fleet of AC75 foiling yachts.
“We’re under no illusion about the challenges ahead and we’re fully focused on building a team that can win the cup,” said the US team’s chief executive Ken Read, who twice helmed Stars & Stripes in earlier America’s Cup campaigns.
Team USA has acquired the Patriot boat, seen here sailing against Luna Rossa, right, in the 2024 Louis Vuitton Cup in Barcelona.
Photo: Photosport
The new team said it had acquired the AC75 Patriot and other assets from American Magic, who attempted to win the America’s Cup in Barcelona, Spain in 2024 but decided in October last year they would not be staging another campaign.
“We are proud to bring an American contender back to the forefront of this historic event,” said American Racing Challenger Team USA co-founder and chairman Karel Komarek, a Czech billionaire.
Riptide Racing, another US team, last week dropped plans to challenge for the “Auld Mug” in 2027, potentially leaving the event without an American entry for the first time.
“The return of a strong US challenger is not only fantastic for the overall event and spirit of the competition but it’s amazing for fans around the world,” said America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) chairman Grant Dalton, confirming the entry.
Dalton has presided over the three consecutive wins by Team New Zealand – 2017, 2021 and 2024 – in the cup. The sailing team represents the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, whose commodore David Blakey welcomed the challenge.
“Given the United States’ remarkable history in the America’s Cup and the calibre of the team they have brought together, they will be a formidable competitor and a strong addition to what is shaping up to be an exceptional and hard-fought contest,” Blakey said.
The new team said governing body US Sailing would also be involved in the initiative, which would “work to strengthen pathways into the sport” with a commitment to supporting youth development and expanding opportunities for female sailors.
“This opportunity extends far beyond competition, it’s about seizing a rare chance to help shape the opening chapter of a new era in America’s Cup history,” said Chris Welch, the US team’s co-founder and vice chairman.
– Reuters, with additional reporting by RNZ