The Countdown is on: three months to Naples PR2

The next chapter of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup is all set to be written with the focus shifting to the beautiful Bay of Naples where suddenly the true scale and majesty of this great competition will come to life. The city of Naples is getting ready to host the second Preliminary Regatta of this cycle, the final regatta of 2026, and to welcome fans from around the world to its vibrant city front and bustling, historic streets with a backdrop of Mt. Vesuvius and the Castell d’Ovo making it truly an unrivalled venue for top-class sailboat racing.

The storylines that emerged from Sardinia were electric with what looked initially like a handing over of the baton to the new generation of Youth & Women America’s Cup sailors, yet the fairytale didn’t have the happy ending.

What came through was experience, talent and hard-won class by the established superstars of the America’s Cup. Luna Rossa’s principal team won, to set a new benchmark in AC40 sailing, but now the gloves are off, the fight is real and the storylines just get better and better. The Youth & Women are gunning for Naples.

Big questions surround so many teams. The Challenger of Record, GB1, showed incredible pace but suffered from gear failure that took them out of the overall standings. They are expected to be strong come Naples. Athena Pathway scored a famous race victory to build from. Emirates Team New Zealand made the final but stumbled on a mis-timed starting run that they will rue and replay over and over again. Tudor Team Alinghi arrived with just a few weeks of preparation but showed speed. La Roche-Posay Racing Team were always up there and know exactly what is expected of them.

Sardinia though announced the arrival of Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro for Luna Rossa as serious contenders. They blistered through the first two days but faltered on the Sunday, however everyone noted their speed and racecraft. Naples could well be redemption for the young Italian talents that many local spectators will be cheering on from the land and the sea.

However, for Naples there are two more notable contenders that are both expected to field one AC40 each on the starting line. American Racing Challenger Team USA have been quietly building a new team of talented sailors with a mix of youth and experience, and trialling in Pensacola, Florida. Led by double gold medallist Giles Scott as Director of Sailing, the American team will be using Naples as a first sight of competition in the AC40 fleet and will be gauging themselves against the very best in the world.

Equally so, Team Australia, led by world-renowned sailor and past America’s Cup winner Tom Slingsby, are doing everything they can to make the starting line in Naples.

If they do, it will be the first time in history that all four countries that have ever won the America’s Cup – USA, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland – will be competing together on the same racetrack for the same prize in the America’s Cup. It’s a moment of history, and winning in Naples will mean the world to the team that does.

The form book suggests that Luna Rossa will be strong in their home country but they know that every team will be bringing their ‘A’ game to Naples. The pressure to perform in front of their home fans is something that CEO Max Sirena described as a “privilege” in Sardinia; and in Naples the levels of expectation are expected to be even higher. In a fleet where anyone can win, especially sailing fully equalised one-design AC40’s, PR2 is shaping up to be a tantalising prospect and a sporting spectacle unrivalled.

Official Practice Racing begins on Thursday 24th September 2026, followed by the first three fleet races (starting at 2pm CEST) on Friday 25th September 2026. For the weekend of the 26-27th September 2026, there will be three fleet races on the Saturday, followed by two concluding fleet racing on the Sunday ahead of a one-on-one Final race between the top two boats to round out the regatta.

For spectators shoreside, Naples promises unmatched hospitality with a free-to-enter Race Village getting fans closer to the action, the sailors and the ambience of the America's Cup than ever before.

With the racing straight in front out on the Bay of Naples, there will be live dock-out and dock-in shows, local musical entertainment and viewing aplenty alongside gastronomy, merchandising and beverage stations. The unique atmosphere of the world's premier sailing event in Naples, promises to be electric.

Meanwhile, the significance of the racing cannot be underestimated. Places are up for grabs in the AC75 programmes for all of the sailors competing. Everyone wants a good result, but in the America’s Cup famously: ‘There is no Second.’