The 38th America’s Cup cycle continues this weekend with the second official Preliminary Regatta, taking place in the bay of Naples, Italy from 24–27 September 2026.

Nine AC40 foiling monohulls across six elite teams are taking to the water right off the Lungomare waterfront. This event marks the first competitive racing on the exact waters that will host the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup Match in 2027.

What is the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Format?

The Preliminary Regattas feature identical, equalised AC40 foiling yachts. Teams compete in fleet racing over three days, culminating in a winner-takes-all Match Race Final on the final day between the top two teams.

Several teams, including Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, GB1 (UK), and Luna Rossa (ITA)—have entered two AC40s to give their Women’s and Youth crews valuable race time alongside the senior teams. Tudor Team Alinghi (SUI), La Roche-Posay Racing Team (FRA), and the newly joined American Racing Challenger Team USA (USA) round out the fleet.

America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Naples Event Schedule

Thursday, 24 September 2026: Official Practice Day
Friday, 25 September 2026: Race day 1 (fleet racing)
Saturday, 26 September 2026: Race day 2 (fleet racing)
Sunday, 27 September 2026: Race day 3 (final fleet races & top-2 winner-takes-all match race)

Note: The results from the Preliminary Regattas do not count towards the 2027 America’s Cup standings, but they provide critical performance data, crew rotation tests, and local weather insight ahead of the main event.

How to stream the America’s Cup in the UK for free

America’s Cup racing for the UK audience will be available on a number of platforms. The easiest way to watch the action for free will be via either the America’s Cup Website, via the America’s Cup Youtube Channel.

If you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you’ll soon find a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It’s a common problem for sports fans all over the world.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back at home. Our sister title, TechRadar has done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

How to use a VPN to watch the America’s Cup racing

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to our sister title is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – Youtube or the America’s Cup website for UK viewers.

How to watch the America’s Cup in New Zealand

New Zealand has a similar set up to the UK in that America’s Cup racing can be streamed free and live via the America’s Cup Youtube channel or via the Website.

TVNZ: New Zealand audiences can catch live race coverage, studio analysis, and replays across TVNZ channels and its digital platforms.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

1 – Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
2 – Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.