Sailing’s 2026 World Cup Set for Rio de Janeiro

3rd September 2025

Afloat.ie Team

The SSL Gold Cup will showcase 40 nations competing in Rio’s iconic Guanabara Bay

The second edition of the Star Sailors League (SSL) Gold Cup will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from November 18 to December 13, 2026. This event also aspires to be referred to as the "Football World Cup in Sailing."

The Brazilian Sailing Confederation (CBVela) officially announced the event at Marina da Glória on August 29. The top 40 nations from five continents will compete for the world champion title on the waters of Guanabara Bay.

“Brazil is uniquely equipped to host major events,” said Marco Aurélio de Sá Ribeiro, CEO of CBVela. “We’re confident this event will be a success.”

David Graham, CEO of World Sailing, confirmed the 2026 SSL Gold Cup has received Special Event status. “This status is only granted to a few major sailing events,” he noted.

Rio's Deputy Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere expressed pride in the city’s selection, emphasising full support from local authorities.

The inaugural SSL Gold Cup was held in 2022, with Ireland (above) participating

The first SSL Gold Cup took place in 2022, in which Ireland competed, with Hungary winning the championship. Brazil finished eighth that year, led by Olympic champion Robert Scheidt.

In addition to the final round, the Americas qualifiers will occur from November 10 to 16. The event promises to engage local audiences, with Marina da Glória open to the public and live broadcasts scheduled.

Published in SSL Gold Cup

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SSL Gold Cup

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About the Star Sailors League Gold Cup

In 2022, Sailing finally got its own World Cup, according to the promoters of the SSL (STAR SAILORS LEAGUE) Gold Cup.

Like football in 1930 and rugby in 1987, the SSL Gold Cup is designed to crown the best sailing nation of all! The World's Top 56 countries, selected on their SSL Nation ranking, will battle their way through to raise the coveted and only Sailing World Cup trophy.

The SSL is the global inshore sailing circuit launched by Olympic athletes in 2012, by sailors for sailors. Its main philosophy considers the athletes (not the boats) as the “Stars” and it aims to showcase the annual global sailing championship with its over 15’000 regattas; it determines and celebrates the world leaders in sailing promoting the inshore regattas to the global audience.

The three main components of the SSL Circuit are the SSL Ranking published every Tuesday, updating the position of over 100,000 leading athletes, thus highlighting the world’s top inshore sailors. The SSL Finals taking place every year around November-December, it’s the annual final of the SSL Circuit among the 20/25 best athletes of the ranking, to crown the champion of the season. And the SSL Gold Cup, the ‘ultimate’ championship of the circuit with 56 nations among World Sailing members, to crown the best sailing nation.

In a mechanical sport where the race for technology sometimes gets in the way of the race for glory, the SSL aims for equal competition where the talent of the sailors is at the forefront and the champions become heroes that inspire new generations of sailors.

The SSL is a World Sailing Special Event since 2017.