38th America’s Cup: Your essential guide to the teams and personnel

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The America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta marks the official start of a new Cup cycle. But what teams are competing and what have been the key transfers

Arguments, lawyers, politicking, and some pretty unedifying scenes. The gap between the 37th and 38th America’s Cup has seen a healthy does of the usual behind-the-scenes nonsense for which the venerable competition is known.

But now, with much of the dust settled, and starting gun poised for the first America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta of the cycle, it’s about time we took a look at the teams and personnel to explore the what’s new for AC38.

The line-up has seen major changes, rebranding, and the historic return of a powerhouse nation.

New Zealand – Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL)

The official Defender of the America’s Cup. The ultimate powerhouses of modern foiling, the Kiwis successfully defended the Auld Mug in Auckland 2021 and Barcelona 2025 having won it in Bermuda 2017. As defenders, they have dictated the protocol for AC38 alongside the British Challenger of Record. Both have been at the heart of a fundamental change to the Protocol to allow all challengers similar voting rights to the Challenger of Record.

It was the Kiwis who developed the radical foiling monohull concept for the current Americas Cup class yachts, the AC75 (now headed into their third cycle and onto their third set of adjusted rules).

Changes:

While the Kiwis are ever-present they are not immune to change and early in this cycle the big news was Peter Burling‘s departure from the sailing team. Burling is the absolute talent of his generation and was art the helm for the win in Bermuda and both defences. In short this the modern iteration of Team New Zealand has not won the America’s Cup without Burling at the helm.

Another big loss for this team will be Australian (but widely viewed as an adopted Kiwi) Glenn Ashby, who has played a central role in Team New Zealand for decades. Ashby has joined the new Australian team for this cycle and his loss will be keenly felt. Not only is Ashby a hugely talented sailor, he has consistently proved unusually adept as being the key link between sailors and engineer’s / designers.

Key Personnel:

  • Nathan Outteridge: brought in to share helming duties with Burling in Barcelona, Outteridge remains in the team and will now likely take on a head of sailing team role. The Aussie is incredibly talented and, so far as like-for-like replacements for Burling he’s about as good as you could hope for.
  • Blair Tuke: Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have sailed together almost all of their lives and the pair have delivered success together at the Olympics, America’s Cup and Offshore racing. Often a little overshadowed by his sailing partner, Tuke is every bit as talented a sailor. For this cycle, however. Tuke is transitioning away from a sailing role into an ‘executive’ position where he will take on responsibility for performance development of the team’s AC75.
  • Seb Menzies: For those not embedded in the New Zealand sailing scene Seb Menzies will be an unfamiliar name. But this rising star has recently proved his worth having won the 49er World Championships earlier this month. Menzies was something of a surprise pick to co-skipper with Outteridge and is definitely currently in the ‘one to watch’ category as opposed to a nailed on helmsman at present.

Britain – GB1

The starting gun may only just be firing for this edition of the America’s Cup, but British team head, Sir Ben Ainslie has already been through a dozen rounds and will be far from feeling fresh. After two consecutive challenges ion 2021 and 2025 backed by Sir Jim Radcliffe’s INEOS team and headline sponsor have had a huge, public split.

Officially the Challenger of Record it was this team that negotiated the new America’s Cup Protocol with Team, New Zealand, nominally designed to offer a more democratic event for all challengers. Thus the newly renamed GB1 (the Women’s and Youth teams are branded as Athena Racing) can be considered as just one of the challengers.

Changes:

The key changes to this team is the change of sponsor. Gone is the investment from Radcliffe and money is likely to be significantly tighter than it was. It’s also notable to Ainslie, widely regarded as the greatest sailor of his generation looks set to be taking something of a back seat in sailing terms, leaving the sailing teams of GB1 and Athena Pathway under the combined talents of Dylan Fletcher and Hannah Mills respectivley.

A key loss for the team will be Giles Scott, who together with Ainslie spearheaded the teams 2021 campaign and was considered by many as the obvious co0-skipper choice alongside Ainslie for 2025 before being dropped in favour of Fletcher.

Key Personnel:

  • Sir Ben Ainslie: Ainslie remains a central driving force in the team and continues to fight for his rdream of return the Auld Mug to British shores for the first time since 1851.
  • Hannah Mills OBE: is taking on massive visibility and leadership, skippering the associated Athena Pathway initiatives as the team pioneers the new inclusive crew rules.
  • Dylan Fletcher: Having come up through the Olympic 49er world, Fletcher impressed as a skipper in the 2025 America’s Cup and clearly has the foiling talent to go toe-to-toe with the strongest sailors. But his leadership will be tested this cycle as he takes on a more senior role

Italy – Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA)

Returning with the passionate backing of Italian sailing fans, Luna Rossa has double the motivation for AC38, given that the match will be played out in their home waters of Naples. They remain one of the most structurally stable and heavily resourced challengers in the village.

So long is the Italian team’s association with the America’s Cup that both they and New Zealand feel like features of the event likely to go one forever. However, having never won the event, there is an air of ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ about the team. Could this be the edition that they finally take the last step?

Changes:

Despite making it all the way to the America’s Cup proper in 2021, a disappointing tilt at the 2025 event say Luna Rossa exit the regatta during the Challenger Playoff rounds.  At which point Jimmy Spithill announced his intention to retire from competitive racing. Spithill’s association with the Cup gioes a long way back, from skippering Young Australia in 1999 (at the age of 20!) to becoming the youngest ever winner of the event in 2010 and pulling off the greatest comeback in sporting history in 2013.

Spithill moved to Luna Ross in 2021 and his loss will be keenly felt. But the Italians have made an impressive signing to replace the Aussie, calling up Peter Burling, 3 x Cup winner to step into the shoes left by Spithill.

Key Personnel:

  • Peter Burling: Burling is the star signing that cannot be ignored. He is hugely talented, but will that translate into a different team with a different culture (not to mention language). Burling’s famously deadpan unemotional demeanour could hardly be less Italian!
  • Francesco “Checco” Bruni: Co-skipper alongside Spithill in the last two America’s Cup Checco has transitioned to a coaching role for this edition of the event. Underneath the vibrant Italian is a largely new and young team so his role in forming them into a cohesive unit will be absolutely key
  • Ruggero Tita: Anyone who has watched Olympic sailing will know this name well. Ruggero Titam, alongside sailing partner Caterina Banti, have been the dominant force in the foiling Olympic catamaran, the Nacra 17. The pair have won gold at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games, proving they are absolute masters of dinghy foiling. Tita is listed as one of the co-helmsmen and it will be fascinating to see how his form translates to the America’s Cup stage.

Day 3 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. INEOS BRITANNIA, ALINGHI RED BULL RACING. Photo: Ian Roman

Switzerland – Tudor Team Alinghi (SUI)

Competing in the last America’s Cup under Alinghi, Red Bull Racing, a change in headline sponsor sees this team arrive under the slightly updated Tudor Team Alinghi banner for this cycle. The Swiss syndicate enters their second consecutive modern-era Cup campaign. Having shaken off the “rookie” rust during the last cycle, they are now a fully matured, deeply integrated operations team.

Alinghi remains the only European team to have won and America’s Cup and, although missing for much of the foiling era, they have an illustrious history with the event. However, the team’s participation is not nailed on and, during the early hiatus of this cycle it looked as if the Swiss team would not return for this cycle.

It is worth noting that, while other teams are fielding two boats in the 2026 Preliminary Regatta – an AC team and a Women’s / Youth team mostly – Alinghi and the French are both only fielding a single AC40 in the event

Changes:

Beyond the change in title sponsor and some significant staff moves in the background there has been an overhaul of the sailing team too for this cycle. It was hard to get a guage on how goo Alinghi actually were in the last cycle as a late entry meant they were always on the back foot and so arrived at the America’s Cup significantly undercooked.

Key Personnel:

  • Paul Goodison: British Olympic gold medalist, Paul Goodison has made the move to Alomghi as the team’s headline transfer. Goodison was co-skipper of American Magic last cycle, but with the American team bowing out (though largely resurected now, see below) Goodison was picked up by the Swiss. He’s a hugely talented sailor, and has featured for the US in the last two challenges. However boat issues for both events mean we’ve never really got to see ‘Goody’ at his best on the AC stage.
  • Phill Robertson:  Australian Robertson has been at the forefront of high performance racing for well over a decade and for many its been a surprise not to see him at the forefront of an AC campaign. He steps in a co0helm alongside Goodison and the pair should make a very experienced and potent combination.
  • Pietro Sibello: Sibello is another with 49er history having competed at the Olympic level alongside his brother for Italy. He was a key part of Luna Rossa’s sailing team in 2021 before moving to a coach role for Alinghi in 2025. However, he has now been transitioned back to the sailing team for the 2027 campaign.

The French AC75 is designed by Emirates Team New Zealand, built in France for 2025’s America’s Cup. Photo: Job Vermeulen/America’s Cup

France – La Roche-Posay Racing Team (FRA)

Previously competing under the Orient Express banner, the French challenge returns with a major new identity as the La Roche-Posay Racing Team. Historically operating on tighter budgets than their rivals, the French are renowned for punchy, highly efficient campaigns that extract maximum performance per dollar.

After using a Kiwi design package in the last Cup to get on the water quickly, the French team made a great impression given their limited time and funds. Despite total dominance of the Offshore Racing scene the French are yet to make a significant impression on the America’s Cup in the modern era. All signs point to this team still struggling to make inroads in terms of sponsorship and attention in a sailing market that is focussed elsewhere.

Key Personnel:

Quentin Delapierre: The Frenchman has impressed in both SailGp and as skipper in the last round of the America’s Cup. He’s clearly a talented sailor and has been able to show that in the one-design AC40. But without a winning boat, he will struggle to convert skill into wins in the AC proper.

The New Additions – Not competing in the Preliminary Regatta

USA – American Racing Challenger Team USA (USA)

The Story So Far: For a while, it looked like the 38th America’s Cup would make history for the wrong reason—being the first ever without an American entry. That changed in April 2026 when entrepreneurs Karel Komárek and Chris Welch launched this brand-new challenge under the banner of Sail Newport. Rather than starting from absolute scratch, they successfully acquired all the core assets of the former American Magic team.

Team Australia (AUS)

The Story So Far: In May 2026, the final late entry for AC38 was accepted, marking Australia’s emotional return to the America’s Cup for the first time in 26 years. Representing the exclusive Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club (the same club that challenged in 1983 when Australia II broke the NYYC’s 132-year winning streak), the campaign is funded by the prominent Australian sailing family, the Winnings.

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