The America’s Cup is one of the oldest international sporting trophies, first awarded in 1851. It is a match race between sailing yachts that represents the pinnacle of the sport. The competition is held roughly every 3-4 years and consists of challenging and defending teams that compete to win the America’s Cup trophy.
History of the America’s Cup
The America’s Cup was originally awarded in 1851 when the schooner America, representing the New York Yacht Club, beat a fleet of British yachts in a race around the Isle of Wight. This was considered a major upset as the British were considered to have the fastest yachts at the time. The trophy was then donated to the New York Yacht Club under the name “America’s Cup” to be used as a challenge trophy for promoting friendly competition among nations.
For the next 132 years, the New York Yacht Club successfully defended the cup against challengers, mostly from Britain. The longest winning streak was between 1851 and 1983, when the New York Yacht Club successfully defended the trophy 24 times. In 1983, the yacht Australia II, representing the Royal Perth Yacht Club, beat defending champion Liberty and broke the longest winning streak in sporting history. This marked the first time the cup was taken away from the New York Yacht Club in its 132-year history.
Since 1983, there have been additional challengers from other countries such as New Zealand, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. Teams spend enormous amounts of time, effort and money to design and build the fastest boat possible within the competition guidelines in order to win the coveted trophy.
Competition Format
The America’s Cup is unique in that it is not a continual championship event. Rather, it operates on a challenge system where the current defending champion faces a specific yacht club that files a formal challenge. If the challenger wins, they then become the new defender until the next challenge.
The protocols of each America’s Cup event can vary, but typically involve multiple stages:
- Challenger Selection Series – The challenging yacht clubs compete against each other in a separate regatta to determine the top challenger who will face the defender.
- Challenger vs Defender Match – The top qualifying challenger goes up against the current America’s Cup champion in a head-to-head match race.
The first team to win a set number of races (typically 7-13 wins) is declared the winner and awarded the America’s Cup trophy. The winner then becomes the defender for the next edition of the cup.
Recent Participants
In recent decades, the number of teams competing has varied from event to event. Here is an overview of participating teams in the last 5 editions of the America’s Cup:
| Year | Teams |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 8 teams (1 defender, 7 challengers) |
| 1995 | 5 teams (1 defender, 4 challengers) |
| 2000 | 11 teams (1 defender, 10 challengers) |
| 2003 | 9 teams (2 defenders, 7 challengers) |
| 2007 | 11 teams (1 defender, 10 challengers) |
As the table shows, the number of challenging teams have ranged from 4 to 10 in recent decades. The defending team is usually just a single yacht club that currently holds the America’s Cup trophy.
2021 America’s Cup Teams
The most recent 36th America’s Cup was held in March 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand. This edition saw 4 teams compete including:
- Defender: Emirates Team New Zealand (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
- Challengers:
- Luna Rossa (Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Italy)
- Ineos Team UK (Royal Yacht Squadron, Great Britain)
- American Magic (New York Yacht Club, USA)
In the Challenger Selection Series, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team and INEOS Team UK advanced to the Prada Cup Finals. Luna Rossa went on to win the Prada Cup, earning the right to challenge defending champion Emirates Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup match.
In the head-to-head America’s Cup match, Emirates Team New Zealand defended the cup, winning 7 races to Luna Rossa’s 3 races to successfully defend the 36th America’s Cup.
2024 America’s Cup Teams
The next 37th America’s Cup is scheduled to take place in 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. As the current defending champion, Emirates Team New Zealand will represent the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron as the defender.
The challenger teams have not been finalized yet, but there is typically interest from teams in the United Kingdom, Italy, USA and Asia. It remains to be seen how many teams will mount challenges once the protocol is announced by the defending champions.
Some top teams that have expressed interest in potentially challenging include INEOS Team UK, American Magic, Luna Rossa and a possible new Spanish challenge.
Rules on Number of Challengers
There is no limit on the number of yacht clubs that can participate in principle. Theoretically, an unlimited number of challengers could submit notices of challenge and compete in the Challenger Selection Series or Prada Cup.
However, the defending team does have some say in determining the rules around entry requirements and number of challengers through the official America’s Cup protocol that is released for each edition of the event.
In recent history, defenders have set some reasonable requirements around timing, fees and experience to discourage frivolous challenges. But there has not been an upper cap on eligible challengers, allowing multiple teams from various countries to participate if they meet the conditions.
Advantages of Multiple Challengers
Having multiple challengers and a competitive Challenger Selection Series offers some benefits for the America’s Cup event including:
- Increased global interest and sponsorship opportunities from having teams represent different countries.
- Improved competition to determine the best challenger to face the defender.
- More exciting racing and storylines for fans to follow during the challenger trials.
Many argue that opening up the America’s Cup to the best teams from different nations, rather than just a bilateral match race, has significantly elevated the prestige and competitiveness of the modern event.
Disadvantages of Many Challengers
However, there are some potential downsides if too many challengers attempt to compete:
- Can dilute the quality of teams if requirements are not stringent enough.
- Makes event logistics more complex and costly to manage.
- Risk of lopsided races during challenger trials if some teams are not competitive.
To balance these factors, most recent defender protocols have aimed to encourage credible teams from leading sailing nations that have the funding, experience and talent to mount a competitive challenge.
Ideal Number of Challengers
When it comes to determining the optimum number of America’s Cup challengers, there are arguments on both sides of the spectrum.
Some purists prefer a simple 1-on-1 match race between just the best challenger and defender. They argue this focuses the event on the ultimate competition to determine the fastest boat.
Others believe that having 3-10 strong challengers makes for a compelling competition and is better for the overall growth of the event and sport.
There is likely a “sweet spot” in the 4-8 challenger range that balances meaningful competition, logistical constraints, costs and overall stakeholder interests. The majority of recent America’s Cup editions have fallen within or near that range.
Conclusion
In summary, the number of teams competing in the America’s Cup can vary from edition to edition. Recent defender protocols have allowed multiple strong challengers to compete and determine the best one to face the champion in the finals match. Having between 4-10 teams from leading sailing nations appears to be a good balance for a high-quality, competitive event that maximizes interest and grows the sport globally. With a multi-year gap between editions, it will be interesting to see how many teams mount a challenge for the 37th America’s Cup in the 2024 event in Barcelona.
