HAMILTON, Bermuda – The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has confirmed the field for the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup, featuring an expanded fleet of 12 invited skippers, up from eight in the past. The regatta will take place from October 13-18 and serves as a key stage of the World Match Racing Tour before its final in Saudi Arabia in November.
This year’s event will unite the world’s top men’s and women’s match racing sailors in a single competition. Eleven participants from six countries are already confirmed, with the twelfth spot reserved for the winner of the Oakcliff International taking place from August 27-30, also a Grade 2 stage of the World Match Racing Tour.
The confirmed field includes:
1. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) — defending champion, World Sailing (WS) Open Ranking #3
2. Chris Poole (USA) — WS Open Ranking #1
3. Eric Monnin (SUI) — WS Open Ranking #4
4. Christian Hamilton (GBR) — WS Open Ranking #5
5. Oscar Engström (SWE) — WS Open Ranking #6
6. Aurélien Pierroz (FRA) — WS Open Ranking #9
7. Jeppe Borch (DEN) — WS Open Ranking #13
8. Anna Östling (SWE) — WS Open Ranking #70 / WS Women’s Ranking #2
9. Pauline Courtois (FRA) — WS Open Ranking #19 / WS Women’s Ranking #1
10. Martina Carlsson (SWE) — WS Open Ranking #53 / WS Women’s Ranking #5
11. Allie Blecher (USA) — WS Open Ranking #344 / WS Women’s Ranking #9
12. Winner of Oakcliff International 2026 (TBC)
Johnie Berntsson returns as the three-time defending champion, aiming for an unprecedented fourth consecutive win after defeating Ian Williams 3-0 in the final last year. This victory marked Berntsson’s fifth Gold Cup win, putting him just behind Russell Coutts’ record of seven.
In addition, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has received a new fleet of eight Fareast 28R match racing keelboats for the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup. The boats, designed by Simonis Voogd Yacht Design, will also support the Club’s future sailing initiatives. Somers Kempe, Past Commodore of the RBYC, expressed excitement about the investment in new boats to enhance sailing experiences and events in Bermuda.
World Match Racing Tour CEO James Pleasance noted that while the Bermuda Gold Cup has been traditionally associated with the IOD fleet, the introduction of the Fareast 28R fleet marks an exciting new chapter for the event.
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club acknowledges the support from sponsors RenaissanceRe, the Bermuda Tourism Authority, and Howden for the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup.
ABOUT WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR:
Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD24million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com
#worldmatchracingtour #BermudaGoldCup #Fareast28R #RoyalBermudaYachtClub
Interested in seeing more Racing News? Click here
