Culture
America's Cup 2027 in Naples: dates, race course and what to expect
The oldest trophy in international sport is raced in Italy for the first time, right off the Lungomare. The whole picture, for people who could not tell a foil from a fork.
Photo: Geoff McKay from Palmerston North, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
First — what the America's Cup actually is
The America's Cup 2027 in Naples, officially the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup, is the 38th edition of the oldest trophy in international sport — Italians call it la Vecchia Brocca, the old jug. The format is simple: the team holding the Cup, the Defender, waits while the challengers fight it out — in 2027 the Defender also sails the opening fleet races and round robins, outside the challenger standings — and the last challenger standing races the Defender one-on-one in a series called the Match.
In 2027 the challenger series is the Louis Vuitton Cup and the Defender is Emirates Team New Zealand, chasing a third straight defence. The Match is first to seven points. The boats are AC75s, monohulls that lift clear of the water on hydrofoils, sailed by five people plus a guest racer.
You need none of this to enjoy it. From the seafront an AC75 at full speed is a huge, very fast object flying past close to the shore, and the crowd reacts as at a football match. That is the point of a close-to-shore course, and Naples has one.
Why Naples — and why Luna Rossa matters
Naples was announced as host on 15 May 2025 by the Italian Government with Emirates Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. It is the first Cup sailed in Italy, though not the first visit: the America's Cup World Series came in April 2012 and April 2013, with a Race Village on the Lungomare in 2013 and, by the organisers' estimate, more than a million spectators across the two events.
Then there is Luna Rossa, on its seventh campaign, challenging through a Neapolitan club, the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia. In Barcelona 2024 the Italians lost the Louis Vuitton Cup final 7–4 to INEOS Britannia, who then lost the Match 7–2 to New Zealand. Since then Peter Burling, helmsman of the last three Kiwi wins, has joined Luna Rossa, which beat his old team in both 2026 preliminary finals, Cagliari in May and Naples in September. Those results do not count towards 2027, but you can imagine the mood on the Lungomare.
Seven teams will race, the largest field since Valencia 2007: the Defender, GB1 as Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Tudor Team Alinghi, La Roche-Posay Racing Team, ARC Team USA and Team Australia.
The calendar — confirmed dates and planned windows
The confirmed dates, published by the organisers on 28 September 2026, put racing between 22 May and 19 July 2027. The Louis Vuitton Cup runs 22 May–4 July; the Youth America's Cup is 2–6 June and the Women's America's Cup 5–9 July; the Match starts on 10 July and, depending on the scoreline, ends by 19 July at the latest.
Inside that window, according to the planned calendar published in September 2026, which includes reserve days and may change: fleet-racing opener 22–23 May, round robins 26 May–11 June with a pause for the youth event, repechage 12–13 June, semi-finals 16–20 June, Louis Vuitton Cup Final 26 June–4 July. No day-by-day schedule exists yet. Racing is planned from 14:00, which leaves mornings free for the city.
As of October 2026 no ticketing, grandstand or hospitality prices or on-sale dates have been published; the Lungomare and the Race Village were free in 2026 and are expected to remain free — check americascup.com and the Comune di Napoli.
The race course — and why it should cost nothing
The race course sits directly off the Lungomare Caracciolo, between Castel dell'Ovo and Posillipo. The organisers say the boats pass just metres from the waterfront; in 2026 you simply stood on the car-free promenade and watched for nothing.
September 2026 was the dress rehearsal: a free Race Village at the Rotonda Diaz with four giant screens and an official attendance of 278,893. For 2027 the organisers plan a larger village along Via Caracciolo, footprint still to be confirmed. For a view from above, Posillipo, Pizzofalcone and the Certosa di San Martino look straight down onto the course. There is almost no shade on the Lungomare at 14:00; pack accordingly.
Bagnoli, about 10 km west, is where the seven team bases, a superyacht marina and a free AC Tech FanZone are being built. The bases are due to be completed over winter 2026–27, with teams expected to move in from January 2027. Go there to see the boats leave the dock, not to watch racing, and check anm.it and eavsrl.it first: transport to the west has been patchy since the 2026 Campi Flegrei tremors.
What to book, and when
Flights first. Capodichino is about 35 minutes from the port by Alibus (€5, roughly every 10–20 minutes from early morning to around midnight; check anm.it). Do not count on the metro: the Line 1 airport station has no official opening date.
Accommodation is the real constraint for summer 2027. Sport e Salute, the government's implementing body, forecasts 3–3.5 million visitors over the 62-day programme, and the September 2026 dress rehearsal already filled the city: Federalberghi called its hotels close to sold out. Our honest advice, as locals: we expect apartments in Naples — ours at Vesuview included — to go first for the Louis Vuitton Cup Final (planned for 26 June–4 July) and the Match (from 10 July); the round robins in late May and early June are the same boats, same course, far easier to book.
If Chiaia and the Lungomare are full, think in minutes, not kilometres: the Vomero is one funicular ride above the course, and Pozzuoli, Sorrento and the islands connect by rail or sea. For Bagnoli and Pozzuoli, rail access is still in flux after the 2026 Campi Flegrei tremors — see our getting-around guide and check anm.it / eavsrl.it before travelling. Our area-by-area guide covers budgets, the tourist tax and the rental rules.
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