LONG BEACH YACHT CLUB, CA (Friday 6th February 2026) Long Beach Yacht Club has announced the first eight entrants for the 2026 Congressional Cup, one of the world’s premier match racing events and a founding event of the World Match Racing Tour. This year’s lineup blends seasoned champions with rising stars, setting the stage for another unforgettable battle for one of sailing’s most coveted titles, the Congressional Cup and Crimson Blazer.

Defending champion Eric Monnin from Switzerland returns to Long Beach for his twelfth challenge of the event, aiming to repeat his team’s breakthrough victory of the Cup last year, marking Monnin’s first ever World Match Racing Tour championship event win. He will face some of the sport’s most accomplished skippers, including the remarkable and seemingly ageless Ian Williams from Great Britain, a nine-time World Match Racing Champion and five-time Congressional Cup winner. Ian has competed at the Long Beach event thirteen times, donning his first Crimson Blazer in 2011.

Another enduring force, Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson enters his seventeenth Congressional Cup this year. A 2009 winner, Berntsson remains a formidable presence on the World Match Racing Tour, winning the Bermuda Gold Cup the last three consecutive years. Joining these titans is two-time Congressional Cup winner and America’s Cup hopeful Chris Poole from the USA. Poole delivered a historic Congressional Cup performance in 2023, sweeping the event with an undefeated 24‑0 record. He claimed the title again in 2024 and finished a close second last year, falling to Monnin only in a sudden‑death final decided in fading breeze.

The 2026 field also features four rising talents already making their mark on the international match racing stage. Denmark’s Jeppe Borch returns for his fourth Congressional Cup appearance, having finished second in 2023 after a commanding 3–0 semifinal victory over Williams. Two‑time Governor’s Cup champion Cole Tapper from Australia also returns for his third attempt following a strong finish behind Poole last year.

France’s Ian Garreta, currently ranked fifth by World Sailing, returns for his second appearance. Rounding out the group is newcomer Christian Prendergast, who earned his berth by winning the four‑event U.S. Grand Slam Series 2025. Still early in his career, Prendergast is already ranked tenth in the world.

“I’m excited to see these young guns take on the old guard” says Congressional Cup Event Chair Ken Mattfeld.  “Each of them has the potential to upset the match racing world order and we are looking forward to hosting them at the 2026 Congressional Cup.”

Racing runs April 29 through May 3, 2026. The event is immediately preceded by the Ficker Cup Grade 2 from April 24-26, also a stage of the 2026 World Match Racing Tour. The top two finishers of the Ficker Cup will earn an invitation to the Congressional Cup.