French sailor Tom Foucher has won the 2026 Dublin Match Cup at the National Yacht Club, with event organiser Ruairi Finnegan taking second place on home waters for his best World Match Race Tour result.
The Dún Laoghaire event was completed ahead of Sunday’s forecast strong winds after organisers and competitors agreed to sail the entire knockout stage on Saturday.
With conditions expected to deteriorate, the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals were all completed in one day, with racing beginning at 10:20 on Dublin Bay.
The J/80 fleet raced in winds ranging from 8 to 18 knots, with the steady direction providing a suitable match racing arena despite changing pressure across the course.
J/80 Battleground — Teams race hard on Dublin Bay during the Dublin Match Cup, where changing pressure and close match racing tested the 14-team international fleet. Photo: Brian Carlin
Foucher Completes Dominant Week
Foucher was the leading performer throughout the regatta, finishing the round robin stage with a perfect 6-0 record in Group B.
The French sailor continued his unbeaten run through the knockout stages, defeating compatriot Victorien Eon 2-0 in the quarter-finals before edging fellow Frenchman Timothée Rossi 2-1 in the semi-finals.
That semi-final race was Foucher’s only defeat of the week.
In the final, he completed the event with a 3-0 victory to finish with a 13-1 overall record.
Finnegan Delivers Home Waters Result
Runner-Up Reward — Ruairi Finnegan’s team celebrates second place at the Dublin Match Cup after a strong knockout-stage performance on home waters in Dún Laoghaire Photo: Brian Carlin
The standout Irish performance came from Ruairi Finnegan, who combined organising duties with racing duties throughout the week.
Finnegan finished third in Group B after the round robin before progressing through the knockout stage with victories over Finland’s Jon Eriksson and Dutch sailor Lennard Bal.
A 3-0 semi-final win against Bal secured his place in the final, where he finished runner-up to Foucher.
The result marks Finnegan’s best finish on the World Match Race Tour and came at the event he helped organise at the National Yacht Club.
French Battle For Third
Podium Finish: Timothée Rossi celebrates third place at the Dublin Match Cup after a closely fought week of World Match Race Tour racing at the National Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire. Photo: Brian Carlin
In the petit final, Rossi defeated Bal 2-0 to secure third place overall.
The 2026 Dublin Match Cup was the second edition of the event and Ireland’s only World Match Race Tour fixture. The World Sailing Grade 2 event featured 14 teams from eight nations racing J/80 keelboats on Dublin Bay.
Final Results
- Tom Foucher (FRA)
- Ruairi Finnegan (IRL)
- Timothée Rossi (FRA)
- Lennard Bal (NED)
- Victorien Eon (FRA)
- Martin Allix (FRA)
- Jon Eriksson (FIN)
- Patryk Zbroja (POL)
