The first competitive action of the 36th America’s Cup gets underway next week – we explain how you can follow the America’s Cup World Series Auckland
The teams are there, the boats are there, and it won’t be long before the racing starts in the America’s Cup World Series Auckland.
In a normal Cup cycle we would have seen plenty of competitive racing by now and know what to expect, but with the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting plans for America’s Cup World Series events in Sardinia and Portsmouth, this will be our first chance to see competitive racing between the new foiling monohull designs from the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, the Challenger of Record Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Ineos Team UK and American Magic.
The ACWS Auckland gets underway on December 17 and runs until December 19 in a double round robin format, meaning we will get a chance to see every team face off twice.
The series culminates on December 20 with the Prada Christmas race, a one-day knockout tournament comprised of two semi-finals and a final.
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The race format for the America’s Cup World Series Auckland and Prada Christmas Race (click to enlarge)
How can I watch the America’s Cup World Series Auckland?
All of the ACWS Auckland races will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, NBC Sports, TVNZ, RAI, and Sky Italia, as well as on the America’s Cup YouTube channel and Facebook page.
You can also watch via the Ineos Team UK website, which will also feature daily pre-race shows, hosted by Georgie Ainslie.
There is clearly no shortage of options available, the problem for European viewers is likely to be the timezone difference, with the ACWS Auckland races taking place between 0200 and 0400 GMT, while the Prada Christmas race will take place between 0300 and 0500 GMT, so if you want to watch live, you’d better set your alarm clock!