Engström and Poole Reach Match Cup Sweden Final

4th July 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Final Bound — Sweden's Oscar Engström and Team Liros secured a place in the GKSS Match Cup Sweden final after an impressive home-water campaign in Marstrand Credit: Ian Roman

Home favourite Oscar Engström and American skipper Chris Poole will contest the Open final at the 2026 GKSS Match Cup Sweden after a dramatic day of knockout racing in Marstrand.

Fresh north-westerly winds gusting above 20 knots tested crews throughout Friday as the quarter-finals and semi-finals delivered comebacks, upsets and close finishes at the World Match Racing Tour event.

Engström, sailing for Team Liros, had already secured a direct place in the semi-finals after topping the round robin standings with a 6-3 record.

The biggest upset came in the quarter-finals, where France's Ange Delerce defeated seven-time Match Cup Sweden champion Björn Hansen 3-1. Competing in his first World Match Racing Tour championship event, Delerce continued an impressive debut campaign.

Semi-Final Duel — Chris Poole (USA) and Riptide Racing face France's Ange Delerce during their hard-fought GKSS Match Cup Sweden semi-final in Marstrand. Poole prevailed 2-1 to book his place in the championship final. Photo: Ian Roman

Sweden's Johnie Berntsson delighted the home crowd by edging Australia's Cole Tapper and Kairos Racing 3-2, while 2024 champion Chris Poole and Riptide Racing eliminated defending champion Jeppe Borch of Denmark by the same margin.

Engström then booked his place in Saturday's championship match with a convincing 2-0 semi-final victory over Berntsson.

Poole was pushed hard by Delerce before securing a 2-1 win to reach his second Match Cup Sweden final in three years. Although he fell short of the title decider, Delerce emerged as one of the standout performers of the regatta. After qualifying fifth from the round robin, the French skipper eliminated Hansen before narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

Attention now turns to Championship Saturday, when Engström will attempt to win on home waters against former champion Poole.

In the Nordea Women's Trophy, Sweden's Martina Carlsson and Beyond Racing will face defending champion Pauline Courtois and France's Match in Pink Team in the championship final.

Final Bound — Sweden's Martina Carlsson and the Beyond Racing crew of Klara Utterström, Amanda Ljunggren, Hanna Gaskell-Brown and Hedvig Hedström powered into the Nordea Women's Trophy final at the GKSS Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand. Photo: Ian Roman

Published in Match Racing, Women in Sailing

Published in Match Racing

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