[Photo; Renato Marques]
The 2026 Macao Match Cup will be underway today and run until Sunday, March 29, featuring 12 international sailing teams that will compete for the Macau title and World Championship points in the waters of Macau.
The event, initially scheduled for January 14-18, will finally take place after a delay of over two months.
The Macao Match Cup is the first stage of the 2026 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) season, which includes 17 World Tour and World Championship events.
The WMRT Final is set for Amaala, Saudi Arabia, in mid-November, following a series of events across the Americas and Europe.
At a press conference yesterday to unveil the event, James Pleasance, executive director of WMRT, said, “As the longest-running global professional series in sailing, we are honored to include the 2026 Macao Match Cup once again as the opening event of the World Match Racing Tour season, and to bring world-class match racing and professional sailing here to Macau.”
Pleasance also noted that, in addition to Macau, the tour will visit California (USA), Sweden, Bermuda, Italy, France, Finland, Poland, and the Middle East, including over 70 of the world’s top-ranked professional match racing teams.
Representing the Sports Bureau (ID), Andrew Vong, head of the Macau Grand Prix and Major Sports Events Department, said the event is “expected to attract strong attention from sailing enthusiasts worldwide,” adding that the ID and the Macau government hope it will “demonstrate the synergistic impact of major sporting events, strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Macau and the international sports community, and support the development of local sports and tourism sectors.”
Part of the local organizing committee, Ma Man Wai, chairman of Ursa Major Sailing Event Management, expressed his joy at the event’s second running in Macau, noting, “Macau offers excellent maritime conditions and a unique cityscape, making it an ideal venue for hosting international sailing events.”
Among the 12 competing teams are some of the world’s top-ranked skippers, including: Cole Tapper – Kairos Racing (Australia, world ranking #2); Johnie Berntsson – Berntsson Sailing Team (Sweden, #3); Ian Garreta – Med Racing (France, #4); Aurélien Pierroz – Match Again by NET (#5); and Christian Prendergast – A Team (USA, #10).
In total, seven countries are represented, with Australia fielding four teams.
As in 2025, the Match Cup will race in identical FarEast 28R match-racing boats for the Cup title and a share of the USD100,000 (MOP806,280) prize purse.
Organizers said the races will take place in the waters south of Macau Peninsula, between the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge and the Sai Van Bridge, allowing spectators to watch from the shore.
As previously reported by the Times, this year’s event lost sponsorship from MGM Macau. Another change from last year is the marina location, which moved from Fisherman’s Wharf to the International Marina Club in Taipa.
Last year, the Macau Match Cup was won by Brit Ian Williams – Pindar by Manuport Logistics (3-1) in the final against New Zealand’s Nick Egnot-Johnson – Knots Racing. While last year’s winners are not in this year’s entry list, Egnot-Johnson and Knots Racing (#21) are participating again.
Races will also be broadcast live online via Facebook, YouTube, and WeChat.
Racing starts today, with the Round Robin Qualifying stage from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 27. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be held on Saturday, March 28, followed by the Petite Final and Final on Sunday, March 29.
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