2021 America's Cup


The 36th America's Cup presented by Prada is the upcoming edition of the America's Cup yacht race. It will be contested by the winner of the 2017 America's Cup, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's team Emirates Team New Zealand, and the winner of the Prada Cup, the challenger selection series which will take place in January–February 2021. Both the Prada Cup and the subsequent America's Cup competitions will be sailed in AC75 racing yachts. The "Challenger of Record", the club that negotiates the racing protocol for the competition with the defender, is Circolo della Vela Sicilia who will be represented by their team Luna Rossa Challenge. As per the Protocol for the 2021 America's Cup, the Challenger of Record shall be responsible for organising all the heat events prior to the America's Cup match and the Defending Club shall be responsible for organising the America's Cup match itself.
The boats will comply with the AC75 class rule, which describes a hydrofoil with unique features.

Scheduling

The event will take place between 6 and 21 March 2021.
Entries for challengers opened on 1 January 2018 and closed on 30 June 2018 with late entries accepted until 30 November 2018. Heats for challengers and the defender, known as World Series, will be held in 2020 in the brand new AC75 class. Challenger selection series will be held in January and February 2021 with the America's Cup match against the defender in March.
Prior to Emirates Team New Zealand winning the 35th America's Cup in 2017, Oracle and four of the five challengers had signed a framework that would have seen the 36th America's Cup in 2019 and the 37th in 2021, with the existing 35th Cup class boats, the AC50s, and a pre-selection America's Cup World Series tournament with the same boats. Team New Zealand, the eventual champion, had opted to not sign the framework agreement, and were not bound by its terms, freeing them to set their defence for 2021 with a brand new format and class.

Challengers

Circolo della Vela Sicilia is the "Challenger of Record" for the 36th America's Cup. Their team, Luna Rossa Challenge is led by Max Sirena, had previously lost to Emirates Team New Zealand in the 2000 America's Cup and the 2007 and 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup finals. On 13 March 2018, Jimmy Spithill announced he was returning to the team, after his tenure as helmsman in the 2007 America's Cup.
Ineos Team UK has entered and is led by Ben Ainslie.
The New York Yacht Club has entered AC36, under the syndicate name American Magic, with a team led by Terry Hutchinson and Bella Mente Quantum Racing Association. In May 2018 it was announced that Dean Barker would helm the boat. "American Magic" refers to the first Cup winner, the yacht America of 1851, and the first defender, NYYC's yacht Magic, who successfully defended in 1870. The America's Cup trophy was held by the NYYC for 132 years until 1983. The NYYC successfully defended the trophy twenty-four times in a row before being defeated by the Royal Perth Yacht Club, represented by the yacht Australia II. The NYYC's reign was the longest winning streak in the history of all sports.
At the close of the late entry notice period, 30 November 2018, eight notices of challenge were submitted to the defender. There were speculation about entries from Australia and China, and second challengers from Italy and the United States. After processing those entries by order of reception, by the end of year 2018 three additional challenges were accepted: Iain Percy and the Royal Malta Yacht Club; a second American challenge from Taylor Canfield and the Long Beach Yacht Club; and a national challenge from the Netherlands issued by Royal Dutch Yacht Club.
On 2 April 2019, the New York Yacht Club, through team American Magic, filed for arbitration relating to the acceptance of the three late entry teams. On 15 March 2019, the America's Cup Arbitration Panel released their decision denying American Magic's application and allowed the late entry teams to compete.
On 31 May 2019, the Royal Malta Yacht Club announced that they were withdrawing as challenger.
On 1 July 2019, the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeil- & Roeivereeniging announced that are also withdrawing as challenger, whereas the Long Beach Yacht Club confirmed their ongoing commitment.
TeamYacht clubWebsite
Luna Rossa Challenge Circolo della Vela Sicilia
American Magic New York Yacht Club
Ineos Team UK Royal Yacht Squadron
Stars & Stripes Team USA Long Beach Yacht Club

Venue

The Cup will be sailed in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf, on the east coast of the North Island, in Auckland City's Waitematā Harbour as the venue. Italy has been announced as the backup venue.

Boats

The Cup will be sailed in AC75s, 75 foot foiling monohulls. The boats are expected to have requirements around the boats being "constructed in country".
Teams are allowed to build two boats each.

Nationality

Twenty percent of sailors in each team must have passports from that country. The rest must meet a residency requirement: they must reside in that team's country for 380 days from 1 September 2018 to 1 September 2020.

Timeline