America’s Cup 2027: Naples, new rules, and a reset that might stick

Inclusion, clearer formats and energy-savvy design promise a sharper, more watchable America’s Cup.

The America’s Cup has pressed the reset button. With the Protocol for the 38th edition now confirmed, we know three big things: Naples will host the Match in July 2027; the event will be guided by a shared partnership of teams rather than a simple defender–challenger duopoly; and the boats, crew make-up, and budgets are being reshaped to keep the spectacle high while making campaigns more sustainable. In short, it’s a bid to preserve the Cup’s cutting-edge appeal without repeating the “arms race” spending of past cycles.

What’s changed for 2027?

Venue and timing

The Match is scheduled for July 2027 in Naples, Italy, with the Challenger Selection Series (CSS) running immediately beforehand. The choice of a lively Mediterranean city with reliable summer sea breezes promises fast, watchable racing close to shore.

Shared governance

A new event partnership brings all teams into the tent on key decisions. Rather than two parties dictating the future, commercial strategy, calendar planning, and format will be shaped collectively. The aim is stability across multiple cycles and a clearer value proposition for sponsors and broadcasters.

Cost control

A campaign cost cap of €75 million per team is the headline measure. It won’t erase differences in resource, but it should tame late-cycle spending spikes and force earlier, smarter prioritisation. For challengers weighing up an entry, the cap makes budgets more predictable and conversations with backers simpler.

Boats and power

The AC75 remains the platform, but the big shift is energy. Manual power for sail controls is out; a supplied battery system—designed to mirror the output of four “cyclors”—will drive the hydraulics. That moves the performance dial towards energy strategy, hydraulic efficiency, control software, and reliability. Expect designers to obsess over power management curves, actuator latency, and control law refinement as much as foil geometry.

Crew and inclusion

Crews reduce to five sailors, with one position reserved for a woman. There’s also a non-contributing guest rider slot. Alongside the Match, the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup regattas return at the host venue, creating a visible pathway from development to the pinnacle. If teams invest properly in selection and training, this could accelerate meaningful progress, on and off the water.

Format and calendar

The CSS adds a group stage, semi-finals, and a final to produce the Challenger. It’s a simpler storyline for fans and media, and it maximises meaningful race days. Preliminary regattas are planned through 2026, giving everyone early reads on design choices and boathandling under the new rules.

Why this reset matters

The Cup has always balanced two instincts: push technological limits and keep competition alive. The new Protocol is an attempt to have both. Three elements stand out.

First, financial sanity. A cost cap nudges every team—big and small—towards discipline. Instead of a frantic, last-minute shopping spree of new appendages and systems, programmes must settle their bets sooner and live with the trade-offs. That rewards process, planning, and the ability to iterate within constraints.

Second, a shift in human performance. Removing manual power doesn’t remove athleticism, but it does refocus the cockpit. With batteries delivering the grunt, sailors’ value skews even more towards decision-making, coordination, communication, and precise boathandling at 40 knots. Expect helms, flight controllers, and trimmers to operate like a well-drilled aircrew—calm, clipped calls and micro-adjustments every second.

Third, inclusion that can become substance. A mandatory female berth will only be successful if programmes treat it as a performance opportunity, not a box to tick. The return of the Women’s and Youth events at the same venue helps: same stage, same spotlight, and a clear ladder for talent. If teams give time in the boat, simulator access, and performance data support, the impact could be lasting.

Will it be more watchable?

It should be. The narrower format is easier to follow, and Naples in July is a recipe for classic sea-breeze afternoons—exactly what broadcasters crave. Battery power might also reduce the occasional “systems fade” you see late in a manoeuvre when human power runs short, making tacks and gybes more consistent and closer. That, in turn, keeps boats in tight engagement windows for longer.

The guest-rider slot is clever. It won’t change results, but it brings partners, media, and storytellers physically into the arena. Done well, that means better behind-the-scenes content and a stronger connection for casual fans who want more than numbers on a screen.

Where the gains will come from

With supplied batteries, the frontier shifts to how energy is used. Think: predictive power budgeting around mark roundings, smoothing demand spikes through refined control loops, and reducing hydraulic losses in the plumbing. Software engineers will chase latency and noise in sensor networks, while sailors practise energy-aware boathandling—feathering loads through manoeuvres to keep pressure in the bank for the next acceleration.

Foil packages remain king, of course, but the balance changes. If everyone has comparable raw energy, the teams that translate watts into metres per second most efficiently will rise. Expect lighter, stiffer control runs, meticulous fairing, and relentless reliability work. A single glitch at 40 knots still ruins a race.

Risks and watchpoints

Governance in practice. Shared decision-making is healthy, but consensus can be slow. The new partnership will need to make timely calls on venues, media, safety, and technical interpretations without blurring competitive integrity.

Battery parity. A supplied system is meant to be fair, yet teams will still innovate around usage. Expect scrutiny on safety, charging protocols, and any grey areas where “control software” meets “performance enhancement”. Reliability will be a storyline—no one wants a lead lost to a tripped protection circuit.

Meaningful inclusion. The rule guarantees visibility, not outcomes. Programmes that invest in pathways, coaching, and race-hard opportunities will create genuine performance depth. Those that don’t risk tokenism—and will be found out on the water.

What happens next

Entries open under the new Protocol and preliminary regatta venues will follow. The updated AC75 Class Rule and Technical Regulations will pin down component limits, measurement details, and sailing-day restrictions. From there, attention turns to the 2026 lead-up events, where we’ll see who has interpreted the new landscape best: the outfit with the sharpest control software, the team with the most efficient energy plumbing, or the sailors who extract the cleanest manoeuvres lap after lap.

The take-away

If this reset delivers—controlled costs, clearer formats, visible pathways, and spectacular racing in a great venue—America’s Cup 2027 could be the most watchable in years. More importantly, it might give the sport a template that lasts: world-class technology, human stories that resonate, and a competition strong enough to attract fresh challengers without requiring a blank cheque. For the rest of us, that means better viewing, richer coverage, and a healthier top end that lifts interest across the whole of sailing.