Twelve of the world’s leading women’s match-racing teams will contest the 2026 World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championship on San Francisco Bay from 30 September to 4 October.
As previously reported by Afloat, the invitation-only championship will be hosted by St Francis Yacht Club, returning the women’s world title contest to one of the sport’s best-known match-racing venues.
The newly announced entry represents seven nations and ten yacht clubs, with all 12 skippers ranked inside the top 18 of World Sailing’s Women’s Match Racing Rankings.
Courtois Chases Sixth Straight Crown
Heading the field is France’s Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, winners of the past five consecutive World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championships.
Courtois, the current world number one, will race with Maëlenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker and Laurane Mettraux as she attempts to extend an extraordinary run of world championship success.
France will have three teams in the championship, with Julia D’Amodio’s Shark Caviar Team and Lucie Gout’s L4C Racing Team joining Courtois on the start line.
Sweden also fields a strong challenge. Anna Östling and her WINGS squad lead the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour standings, while compatriot Martina Carlsson’s Beyond Racing Team is currently second.
The European contingent is completed by the Netherlands’ Julia Aartsen and Team Out of the Box, currently third on the WWMRT leaderboard, and Denmark’s Kristine Marie Mauritzen with Those Seagulls.
Thomson Returns After 2025 Silver
New Zealand’s Megan Thomson and her 2.0 Racing team return after finishing runners-up at the 2025 World Championship. Thomson will race with Maddie Rist and Tinka Visser, with a fourth crew member still to be confirmed following a late change.
Australia will be represented by Juliet Costanzo and Team Costanzo, who finished fourth at the 2025 Worlds. Her crew includes Stacey Jackson, Sarah Parker and Katie Spithill.
Three United States teams complete the 12-boat field, all from California.
Allie Blecher and Team BAAM! represent California Yacht Club, while Lindsey Baab and Fog Racing take the host-country selection for St. Francis Yacht Club.
Nicole Breault’s Vela Racing Team provides another strong home challenge. Breault won the 2025 US Women’s Match Racing Championship and finished seventh at last year’s World Championship.
“I’m always happy when these awesome teams come to play in my backyard because I’m excited to take them on where I’m comfortable and where I have that home-water advantage,” Breault said. “But at the same time, having played against them, they always bring it, and it’s always a tough competition.”
San Francisco Bay Test
StFYC Race Director Felix Weidling said the strength of the entry should produce closely fought racing.
“When you bring together sailors of this calibre, you can expect extremely competitive racing and very few easy matches,” he said.
StFYC Commodore Susan Ruhne said the championship builds on the club’s recent hosting of Women’s World Match Racing Tour events in 2023 and 2025, as well as the 2025 US Women’s Match Racing Championship.
“Fall is a prime time to race on San Francisco Bay, and we believe this year’s world championship will deliver top-level competition at our incredible, spectator-friendly venue,” Ruhne said.
The championship runs from Wednesday, 30 September to Sunday, 4 October, with racing scheduled to begin on Thursday, 1 October at 10.30 am PDT (5.30 pm Irish time).
