What is the America's Cup Challenger Selection Series?

The Challenger Selection Series They are part of the main nautical competition worldwide, the Sailing America Cup, which will take place in Barcelona in 2024 for its 37th edition. This is the preliminary phase to the final of the oldest sporting tournament recorded in the modern era.

This is a key moment in the event, with a great influence on the final outcome of the competition, which can be witnessed in different ways. In any case, it is a situation that is difficult to repeat in Barcelona, so it is important to know how it develops and start following it from the Challenger Selection Series itself.

What is the America's Cup Challenger Selection Series?

The Challenger Selection Series are the second most important phase of the world's biggest nautical competition, only behind the America's Cup final itself. They are held in Barcelona after the preliminary races - there are three in this edition, the first two have already taken place in Vila Nova i la Geltrú and Jeddah and the third will be in Barcelona.

This is a part of the event where Five teams will compete for a place in the America's Cup final, which in turn is composed of different phases.

How the competition develops in the Challenger Selection Series

To understand the development of the Challenger Selection Series in the America's Cup, we must separate the three phases that comprise it. Remember that there are five participating teams, so first of all a kind of double round robin in which everyone competes against everyone, each of them facing each of the others twice.

From here they will come out Four semi-finalists, who will be the top four finishers, and the first of them will choose who will be their rival for the final of the Challenger Selection Series. In both the semi-finals and the final, the winning team will be the one that reaches 7 points first.

Which teams are participating in the Barcelona Challenger Selection Series?

The Five teams participating in the Challenger Selection Series of the Barcelona 2024 America's Cup They come from various nationalities and represent their different sponsors, which in many cases start from the association of several brands in a team building process that involves a large investment, but which represents an unrivalled showcase at a global level:

• From the United Kingdom, the Inneos Britain, he Challenger of the Record because he will be the first to challenge the champion.
• From the United States, the American Magic New York Yacht Club.
• From Switzerland, the Alinghi Red Bull Racing.
• From France, the Orient Express Racing Team.
• From Italy, the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

Which boats are competing in this phase of the 2024 America's Cup?

In the America's Cup sailing there are two types of boats, both called AC for the initials of America's Cup and a number. In the preliminary races the boats, called AC40, are all the same, since they start with the same design so that only the work of the crew members in navigation is evaluated.

However, In the Challenger Selection Series each team participates with a boat of its own design, which requires a large investment.: This is the AC75, a boat whose price is around 60 million euros and which is designed to literally fly over the water, reaching around 50 knots, or what is the same, up to 92 km per hour.

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Which finalist is not participating in the Challenger Selection Series and why?

As we have mentioned, There are five participants in the Challenger Selection Series, who are scheduled to compete for a place in the final.But what is the other team competing to win the so-called Hundred Guineas Cup and why is it not part of this first cast?

Well then, The other finalist is the Emirates Team New Zealand and is not among the teams that will compete in the Challenger Selection Series due to the very operation of the America's Cup, whose winner of each edition has a guaranteed place in the final of the following event.

Attendance at the Challenger Selection Series, guaranteed excitement

Although nothing compares to the final of the America's Cup Sailing, The Challenger Selection Series guarantees even the same excitement as the final outcome of the event.This will be the first time that the five challenger teams will be able to compete with boats designed by their own engineers, since until then they will only have sailed with the one-design boats from the preliminary races.

The Attending the Challenger Selection Series from the sea It is free and allows you to enjoy the speed of the AC75 from the front row, so it is worth attending whenever possible.