The dates for the Preliminary Regatta, Louis Vuitton Cup and the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match have now been released with racing getting underway for the four-day Preliminary Regatta starting on 22 August 2024.
The key dates for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup are:
- Preliminary Regatta: 22 – 25 August
- Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robins: 29 August – 8 September
- Louis Vuitton Cup Semi Finals: 14 – 19 September
- Louis Vuitton Cup Finals: 26 September – 5 October
- Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match: 12 October – 21 October
It will be an intense 3-month racing period for the America’s Cup teams whilst for the Youth & Women’s teams, their separate events will be preceded by long days of official training before their racing begins in earnest.
All six America’s Cup teams will contest the Preliminary Regatta 22 – 25 August and this will be the first time the new AC75’s will line up to provide some vital performance insight between the teams.
Just four days later, as written in the Protocol governing the 37th America’s Cup, the Louis Vuitton Cup will begin with two Round Robins which begin on the 29 August 2024, with all six competing teams racing, including the Defender. The double Round Robin racing is scheduled to finish on the 8 September and will be the last time the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, will race the against the Challengers before the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match.
However, importantly, according to the Protocol the results from all races during the Round Robin stage between a Challenger and the Defender will not count towards the semi-final rankings. Which means, the top four Challengers will advance through to the Louis Vuitton Semi Finals stage, while the first challenging team is eliminated.
The top qualifier will select their semi-final opponent and in each half of the semi-final draw it’s a first-to-five, best of nine race format.
There can be no room for error from the Challengers, no off days. The schedule rewards consistency and the opportunity to select your opponent after finishing top at the series conclusion of the second Round Robin is immense.
The Louis Vuitton Cup Final will see the winning semi-finalists battle it out for the right to face Emirates Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match after a best-of-thirteen (first to seven) series.
The format for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match itself is also a best-of-thirteen races (first to seven) with an expected conclusion by the 21 October 2024. (Reserve days are scheduled for the 22 October through to 27th October if required.)
Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand and America’s Cup Events (ACE) gave his perspective on the format saying: “This is almost certainly the highest Challenger standard seen in the America’s Cup in the past 25 years and the winner will be battle-hardened having come through the white-hot intensity of the Louis Vuitton Cup. For Emirates Team New Zealand, we will have seen the competitiveness early in the Round Robin stage, but it will be a very different and interesting challenge for us to overcome when it comes to the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match. It’s going to be a classic Cup contest.”
Running alongside the 37th America’s Cup schedule, America’s Cup Events (ACE) can also announce the scheduling for both the Youth and Puig Women’s America’s Cup regattas. The key dates are as follows:
- Youth America’s Cup: 17 – 26 September
- Puig Women’s America’s Cup: 5 – 13 October
The racing and training schedule for each event runs along the same format with Official Practice preceding the race days before the fleet in each respective regatta is split into two groups of six boats for an eight race opening series. The fleet cut will follow with the top six teams advancing to a four-race fleet-race to decide the top two boats in each series.
The Youth America’s Cup final – a one race, winner-takes-all shoot out is scheduled to take place between Races 1 and Race 2 of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final on the 26 September 2024. The Final of the Puig Women’s America’s Cup is initially scheduled to be held in between Race 3 and Race 4 of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match on the 13 October 2024.
Speaking about the scheduling of both finals, Grant Dalton added: “This is maximum global exposure for our Youth & Women’s finalists. It will be a very tough regatta to win where the full range of racing disciplines will be tested to the max. The winners in each event will be catapulted onto the world stage and for sure, we will see future legends of the America’s Cup coming to the fore. It’s an exciting but demanding format that’s been designed to test the athletes to the maximum.”
