37th America’s Cup First Preliminary Regatta

The journey to the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona 2024 begins with the preliminary regattas that will serve as warm-up races ahead of the Challenger Selection Series.

Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona) will host the first Preliminary Regatta of the 37th America's Cup, with racing to take place over four days between 14-17th September 2023. The teams will head then to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a second regatta between 29th November to 2nd December 2023. The third and last preliminary regatta will be held in August 2024 in Barcelona.

The preliminary event in Vilanova i la Geltrú will be the perfect opportunity to glimpse what to expect during the Youth & Women's America's Cup races that begin in September and October of 2024 in Barcelona. Moreover, it is the first time the AC40 fleet will race each other over fleet and match-racing courses.

The Defender of America's Cup and the five Challenger teams will all be fielding strong sailor line-ups and will be keen to signal their intentions for America's Cup. The participating teams are the following:

• Emirates Team New Zealand
• INEOS Britannia
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
• NYYC American Magic
• Orient Express Racing Team

Racing will take place on Friday 15th, Saturday 16th, and Sunday 17th September 2023 from 15:30 to 17:30, with practice racing on Thursday 14th September.

Activities in the Race Village will open from 11:30 and continue until 20:00 each day of the event. For those wishing to come and watch the races in person, the event is entirely free, and there is no need to buy tickets. For those unable to attend in person, races will be streamed online on the official America's Cup website, YouTube and TV.

According to America's Cup CEO Grant Dalton, "The Port of Vilanova i la Geltrú is perfectly set up to host the first Preliminary Event of AC37 with everything in such close proximity to the race course. Racing will be just meters from the port entrance, and prime viewing places will be offered from the La Daurada alongside huge public areas for a great fan village. The magnificent facilities of Pendennis Vilanova and Vilanova Grand Marina will serve as the technical area which will host the team bases and their AC40, and, of course, we will be proud to align with the Club Nàutic Vilanova as the local yacht club for the event."

Albert Castellanos, Secretary for Business and Competitiveness of the Department of Business and Employment of the Generalitat de Catalonia and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, further added: "The confirmation of Vilanova i la Geltrú as the venue for the first Preliminary Regatta of the 37th America's Cup-Barcelona 2024 is great news that confirms the commitment of the organization to bring the sport of sailing to the whole territory, projecting our image to hundreds of millions of people around the world", he said.