The next America´s Cup will be held off Naples, Italy, in 2027, holder Team New Zealand announced on Thursday.
It will be the 38th edition of the world´s most famous regatta and the first time it has been held in the Mediterranean country.
New Zealand had the right to pick the venue after winning its third straight cup in Barcelona last year.
The cup holder said the races will be staged in the spring and summer of 2027. Naples previously hosted preliminary regattas before the 34th America’s Cup in 2012. In its statement, the team said the races “will take place under the watchful shadow of Mt Vesuvius and just off the waterfront of the vibrant city.”
Italian yachts have reached the final match race three times, most recently Luna Rossa in 2021. Luna Rossa fell one step short in Barcelona, where the beachfront was teeming with Italian fans. Britannia beat Luna Rossa to reach the final, where it lost to the Kiwis.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli won the first Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona and its youth team also won the event for young sailors.
New Zealand team boss Grant Dalton said that while the event would surely benefit from the Italian sailing fans, his team would have to play the spoiler.
“Italians are the most passionate and engaged America´s Cup audience and … Luna Rossa are such an amazing team and strong competitor,” he said. “So, from the defender´s position it certainly feels like we are entering the lion´s den competitively, but from an event perspective it feels like the perfect venue.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni applauded the choice, saying it reflected Italy´s naval tradition.
“It is a recognition of the very identity of our nation. Without the sea, in fact, we would not be what we are,” Meloni said. “We look forward to welcoming the America´s Cup. Italy will be up to this challenge, and will once again demonstrate to the world what it is capable of.”
Many New Zealand fans were angered when team Dalton took the cup away from Auckland, citing financial difficulties, after the local boat hosted the event and successfully defended its title in 2021.
Dalton left open the possibility of returning home for the 38th regatta if the money was there, but he discarded that option last month after the team failed to secure what it considered sufficient backing from the government.
Barcelona’s municipal government opted not to bid to host another cup just days after Team New Zealand culminated its three-peat. The town hall said it was “a one-off event.” The decision came amid protests against so-called “overtourism.”
The America´s Cup is the world´s oldest international sports trophy. It dates to 1851 when the schooner America bested the Royal Yacht Squadron around the Isle of Wight. Only four countries have won it, including the Australians and Swiss.
New Zealand is guaranteed a spot in the 2027 final as the defender, while challengers will compete to see who emerges as the other finalist.