How does it work and what are the rules of the Copa América de Vela?

We all know the existence of the Sailing America Cup, but it is common to not know exactly how it works, so its enormous appeal as a sports competition can go unnoticed.

For lovers of nautical sports, it is an event marked in red on their calendar, even more so this year 2024, in which the America's Cup spectacle is held in Barcelona.

What is the America's Cup?

The Copa América de Vela is considered the oldest sports competition in the world., even ahead of the Olympics, since the first modern Olympic games date back to 1896, while the first known sailing competition was recorded in 1851. It is also the main nautical competition worldwide.

How the Sailing America Cup works

The Copa América de Vela is the final competition between two teams, one of them is the champion of the previous edition, while the second finalist who will compete for the Hundred Guineas Jug will come from the Challenger Selection Series, the previous competition in which 5 teams of different nationalities will compete in 2024.

Phases of the competition in the America's Cup

The America's Cup is made up of three different phases in which all teams participate in one way or another. Each one of them has a different objective and is held in various venues, although all of them point to Barcelona as the final destination. This route is developed through the so-called preliminary regattas, the Challenger Selection Series and the Copa América as the grand finale of the competition.

Preliminary regattas

There are three preliminary regattas, two of which have already been held recently in 2023 and whose venues have been Vila Nova i la Geltrú and Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. The last of these regattas will be held in Barcelona, in the days prior to the official start of the Copa América de Vela and, as in the two previous cases, it will be a preparatory event with AC40 boats, different from those of the competition itself.

Challenger Selection Series

The Challenger Selection Series are the phase prior to the final, in which the team is chosen to compete with the previous champion - in this case the Emirates Team New Zealand– for winning the Copa América. They are also celebrated in Barcelona and Of the 5 teams that leave, four will remain to fight in the semifinals, from which in turn the two finalists will emerge who will challenge each other to win this phase prior to the final.

Sailing America's Cup Barcelona 2024

The Copa América de Vela is the grand final of the competition, is held in Barcelona for the first time in its history - the third time in Spain, the previous two being in Valencia. In this case, the Emirates Team New Zealand He has a guaranteed place in the final regattas and is waiting to meet the champion team of the previous phase and compete with them at the conclusion of the event.

Teams participating in the Sailing America Cup

Are six teams that will compete in this edition of the Copa América de Vela, five of them in the aforementioned Challenger Selection Series and the current champion waiting in the final. Each of the following competitors comes from a different country and will try to win the Hundred Guineas Jug by passing each of the indicated phases:

• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, from Italy.
• Orient Express Racing Team, from France.
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing, from Switzerland.
• American Magic New York Yacht Club, from the United States.
• Inneos Britain, from the United Kingdom, which is the Challenger of the Record or the champion's first challenger.
• Emirates Team New Zealand, from New Zealand, who is the current champion of the Sailing America's Cup in its previous edition - the 36th -.

The boats of the America's Cup 2024

In the America's Cup we can see two types of boats: AC40s will sail in the preliminary regattas -America's Cup 40-, unique design monotypes in which only the skill of the crew is relevant, in the Challenger Selection Series and in the final we will see the AC75, boats that allow each team's own design, that do not touch the water and that reach 50 knots.

The other competitions of the Copa América de Vela

The attraction of the 37th edition of the Copa América de Vela in Barcelona will not be limited exclusively to the main competition, but it is also possible to attend other versions of the tournament, such as the Youth America's Cup and the first women's Copa América to be held in history, the so-called Puig Women's America's Cup.

The America's Cup event in Barcelona

Beyond the main attraction of the Copa América that is repeated in each edition and that focuses on sports competition, The event generates a great movement in the cities where it is celebrated. In the case of Barcelona, different spaces will be configured with simulators, historical and current information on the America's Cup and countless options to enjoy this unique event.

Why attend the Copa América Barcelona 2024?

Precisely because of the uniqueness of the event, because it is a competition that has only been held twice before in Spain in its entire history and, taking into account the entire context, because of the possibility of knowing in depth a scenario that is presented rarely in life. If you also have the opportunity to witness the competition from the water, do not hesitate to find out how to do it.