SailGP makes its South American debut this weekend in Rio de Janeiro
The Rolex SailGP Championship will make its historic debut on the iconic waters of Guanabara Bay this weekend, April 11-12, with the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix. Set against the spectacular backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain, the global league arrives in Rio de Janeiro for the fourth stop of the 2026 Season, with more than 8,000 spectators expected to line the shore., The most exciting racing on water will celebrate Brazil’s prestigious sailing heritage – a nation of Olympic legends – by transforming the bay into a high-speed arena for action-packed, adrenaline-fueled racing.
The stakes have never been higher as elite international teams battle for personal glory and a record-breaking $12.8 million prize purse over the course of the season. Local fans will witness a landmark moment in sporting history as the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team competes on home waters for the first time, led by two-time Olympic champion Martine Grael – SailGP’s first female driver. Supported by Enel, the event is set to be a transformative moment for the city, blending elite athleticism with a festival-style celebration in the heart of Brazil.
RIO’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DEBUT & A GRAEL FAMILY HOMECOMING
For the first time in the championship's history, the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team will feel the roar of a home crowd as they take to the waters of Rio.
The spotlight on driver Martine Grael has never been brighter, carrying immense personal significance for her and her brother and teammate, Marco Grael. The siblings, who honed their world-class skills in these very waters, represent one of Brazil’s most legendary sailing dynasties as the children of Olympic icon Torben Grael.
With family, friends, and thousands of passionate fans lining the shoreline, the event marks a powerful full-circle moment for the Graels – a homecoming that transcends sport.
GRAEL & KUNZE REUNITE IN RIO – AS RIVALS:
In a narrative move fit for the silver screen, Rio will witness the reunion of one of sailing’s greatest partnerships, but with a competitive twist. Mubadala Brazil’s Martine Grael and ROCKWOOL Racing strategist Kahena Kunze return to the site of their shared glory, a decade after claiming Olympic gold at the Rio 2016 Games.
Known for their tactical brilliance as teammates, the two icons will now face off as rivals on separate F50s. For hometown fans, seeing these two legends navigate the bay against one another adds a layer of nostalgia and the potential for high-stakes drama to be on display across the weekend of racing.
U.S. SAILGP TEAM LOOKS TO RIDE SYDNEY MOMENTUM
The United States SailGP Team arrives in Rio with a renewed sense of belief following a spectacular breakthrough in Sydney last month. Capturing their first event win since October 2023, and most notably, the team’s first title under the leadership of driver Taylor Canfield, the American crew proved they are a force to be reckoned with.
This new-look lineup is steadily building the cohesion necessary to challenge the frontrunners, and the all-American crew will be eager to prove that their Australian success was no outlier as they build a momentum-fueled path toward their own home event in New York this May.
RETURN OF DS AUTOMOBILES SAILGP TEAM FRANCE
After a heart-wrenching exit in Auckland, DS Automobiles Team France officially returns to the start line.
A dramatic mid-race crash in New Zealand left the French F50 with significant damage, forcing Quentin Delapierre and his crew into a grueling period of repairs and preparation. Now back to full strength, the French team is determined to hit the reset button on their season.
They arrive in Rio eager to leave the Auckland setback in their wake and reassert their position as top-tier championship contenders.
2026 SEASON STANDINGS TAKE SHAPE
The battle for the 2026 Championship is heating up, with three different victors emerging from the first three events: Emirates Great Britain, BONDS Flying Roos (Australia), and the United States.
As the fleet enters Rio, Dylan Fletchers’ Emirates Great Britain team holds the top spot with 28 points, closely followed by the BONDS Flying Roos with 25 points.
A dead heat for third follows, with the U.S. and France both sitting on 20 points. Meanwhile, Los Gallos (16 points) and Artemis (15 points) remain within striking distance, looking for a peak performance in Brazil to bridge the gap and shake up the leaderboard.
SAILGP 101 - HOW IT WORKS
SailGP is a global racing championship designed to redefine professional sailing. The league operates a centrally organized structure with identical, one-design F50 foiling catamarans and shared performance data, creating a genuinely level playing field where any team can win on their day.
Racing takes place in close-to-shore “stadium” environments, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before and delivering a made-for-television broadcast product. Teams compete across multiple races per event, with points accumulated towards the overall championship standings. Only the top three teams progress to a winner-takes-all Final at each event, where execution under pressure is decisive.
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can follow all the action from the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix, across 12 major broadcast territories, including on Globo and Band in Brazil, as SailGP continues to grow its global audience. Coverage will be available in the UK (TNT Sports), France (Canal+), Germany (ZDF), Spain (Movistar) , Italy (Sky Italia) and Sweden (TV4). Viewers in Australasia can watch via Fox Sports and SBS (Australia) and Three (New Zealand), while Great Sports will broadcast in China . Coverage will also be available in the Americas on CBS Sports Network (USA) and TSN (Canada).
Racing gets underway at 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12. For the latest news, tickets, updates and broadcast information ahead of the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix, visit SailGP.com/Rio.
