America’s Cup, moving toward Valencia 2027: a stop in Italy too?

The America’s Cup has just ended but it has also just begun. These are days of early “business” indeed for the Old Pitcher, with Team New Zealand’s big boss Grant Dalton taking center stage. In an official statement Dalton outlined his vision for the future of the America’s Cup, starting with a fixed point: “it is difficult to increase the number of team bases on the current logistical possibilities in Barcelona.” This sounds like the end stone on the experience in the Catalan capital, but the “move” may be short-lived. In fact, the candidacy that seems to be emerging, or rather re-emerging, in these hours, is that of Valencia, for a return to the Valencian Community that would be welcomed by all the teams. A relatively inexpensive but touristy city, good infrastructure already partly ready after the 2007 Cup, ideal weather conditions, there are many points in favor of Valencia, which would love to spite the Catalans. In Valencia, a spot affected by a more constant thermal breeze than Barcelona, there would be fewer regattas with high and low wind peaks as seen in the last edition, and more matches with a constant thermal wind of medium intensity, which would guarantee a fairly linear program although, perhaps, less compelling conditions from a tactical point of view.

When will the America’s Cup take place in Valencia? Presumably in the summer of 2027.

The Cup in the East

What about the sirens from the East? “We will try to increase the audience and the agreements between various regions, territories and societies,” Grant Dalton says hissily, but the most likely scenario on the horizon is that in the East, Emirates or Arabia, the Cup will go there but only for a preliminary leg, perhaps still with the AC 40 as it had been in Jeddah. And the 40 is the key to making the America’s Cup live on year after year even beyond the main event, with preliminary stages perhaps as early as late 2025 or early 2026. In any case, it seems that almost no team, defender aside, has any desire to contest the Cup in the East but all are aiming for Europe and eventually the 38th edition will be there, at least in its final act. What seems certain, however, is that the New Zealanders also want to continue to exploit the Cup from a commercial point of view, an interest that is actually at least minimally shared by all the teams and their partners. Increasing the audience and expanding the boundaries of the event is a goal shared by all. It is just that Team New Zealand would exploit more than others, as an organizer, the commercial business around the Cup with additional resources to make the Trophy increasingly impregnable. A not insignificant detail.

For this, the role of the Challenge of Record will be crucial, who must try to limit the defender as much as possible.

When is the Cup in Italy?

What about Italy? Needless to say, the Italian public is the huge disappointment of these years: first the 2020 leg skipped because of the Covid, then the Sardinia Region’s suicide in negotiating with the New Zealanders to have a Preliminary. And a Luna Rossa seemingly only spectator to the contention. It remains a fact that one of the central audiences of the modern America’s Cup, the Italian one, would deserve at least an approach leg: Cagliari, Trapani, Naples, Brindisi, there would be an embarrassment of riches as to where to contest it, with the certainty of having huge crowds ashore to watch, as had been the case with the fortunate experiences of Trapani, Naples and Venice. Not having an Italian leg to the 38th edition would be a scandal. And we hope that Luna Rossa will put pressure on the New Zealanders to achieve this goal.

Mauro Giuffrè