World Sailing Nations Cup

About the Nations Cup

The World Sailing Nations Cup, the ultimate event to crown the world’s top match-racing nations, is making its much-anticipated return after a seven-year break.

The event is renowned for fostering global talent and providing a clear pathway to elite competition, with many of its alumni going on to compete in The America’s Cup, the World Match Racing Tour, and the Olympic Games. 

Esteemed past participants include Mathieu Richard (FRA), Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Ed Baird (USA), Claire Leroy (FRA), and Lucy Macgregor (GBR), highlighting the event’s role as a crucial stepping stone for sailing’s greatest stars. 

The event’s format is designed to maximise global participation. A pyramid of club and national championships often precedes the international competition, with a series of Regional Finals culminating in the Grand Final. For the 2026/2027 edition, up to 10 teams in both the Open and Women’s divisions will be invited to the Grand Final based on a regional selection process. 

Event History

The 2015 edition of the World Sailing Nations Cup was successful with 37 teams competing in the continental Regional Finals. The Grand Final was held in the City of Vladivostok (RUS), overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with 14 teams competing giving an AUS v RUS showdown in the Open and a USA v FRA sail-off in the Women’s division. Russia emerged victorious in the Open category and USA won the Women’s division.

At the 2019 edition, the change to a Regional Qualifying structure in order to reduce the costs for participating teams/MNAs resulted in 19 teams from 13 countries taking part. Held at the St Francis YC, San Francisco, saw France emerge as the winner in both the Open (9 teams) and Women’s (10 Teams) events.

All continents were represented including South America, Asia and Oceania. Fourteen umpires assisted, with 10 International Umpires appointed by World Sailing and four National Umpires from the USA.