Ireland have finished fifth overall at the 2026 Team Racing World Championship in Stockholm, securing their place with a decisive final-day victory over Bermuda as USA 1 went on to claim the world title.
The Irish team entered Sunday fifth in the standings after an impressive qualifying campaign and made sure they would leave Sweden in the same position when the championship moved into its concluding King of the Castle phase.
Their final contest came against Bermuda in Race 211, with fifth place at stake. Ireland delivered when it mattered, taking first and second places in the race while the Bermudian boats finished third and fourth.
The victory confirmed Ireland as fifth in the world at the end of four demanding days of team racing on Stockholm's Riddarfjärden.
Ireland Deliver in Fifth-Place Decider
Ireland's final placing capped a championship in which the team had demonstrated that it could compete with the strongest nations in the fleet.
They had reached the final day in fifth after recording 14 wins from 21 completed races, putting themselves at the head of the group that would contest positions five to 12 through the King of the Castle format.
Bermuda emerged as the challenger after defeating the Bahamas in Race 205 and Sweden in Race 208.
That set up the showdown with Ireland in Race 211.
There was no ambiguity about the outcome. Ireland's boats crossed in first and second, producing the best possible combined result in two-boat team racing and stopping Bermuda's progress up the rankings.
Bermuda consequently finished sixth, immediately behind Ireland.
USA 1 Crowned World Champions
At the front of the championship, USA 1 from California completed an emphatic final by defeating USA 2 from Massachusetts 3–0 in the best-of-five title match.
USA 1 had beaten New Zealand in two races in their semi-final, while USA 2 defeated Great Britain to establish an all-American contest for gold.
Alex Curtiss described the victory as particularly meaningful for a team built around close friendships and support from Newport Harbor Yacht Club.
“It feels really good. We’re all such great friends and have such amazing support from Newport Harbor Yacht Club. We’re so honoured to represent the United States,” Curtiss said.
He also praised the volunteers behind the Stockholm championship.
“The regatta was incredible. To have 80-plus volunteers drop five days of their life to come and support us just makes us feel so much more special.”
Great Britain Claim Bronze
Great Britain completed the podium after defeating New Zealand 2–0 in the bronze-medal contest.
British team captain Scott Wallis said both races remained finely balanced until their closing stages.
“It was really tough. New Zealand are very good. There were so many changes during the races and it could have gone either way. But we managed to win both races close to the finish line,” Wallis said.
The result gave the Royal Thames Yacht Club team a World Championship bronze at its first appearance at the event.
The final medal standings therefore saw USA 1 take gold, USA 2 silver and Great Britain bronze, with New Zealand fourth and Ireland completing the top five.
220 Races Decide World Championship
The scale of the programme was considerable, with 220 races completed across four days.
Sunday brought stable westerly to north-westerly winds, although the strength varied during the day, allowing organisers to complete the knockout, King of the Castle and medal stages.
World Sailing event controller Steven Wolff described it as a “champagne championship”, highlighting both the racing conditions and the contribution of the volunteers.
“It’s been a champagne championship. The conditions were amazing, the venue is amazing, the city is amazing, the volunteers are amazing. We got 220 races in and we picked a world champion. What more could we ask for?”
Ireland Leave Stockholm Fifth in the World
For Ireland, fifth place represents a strong conclusion to a championship in which the team spent significant periods competing towards the sharp end of the standings.
Crucially, their final position was not simply inherited from the qualifying leaderboard.
Ireland had to defend fifth place on the final day and did so emphatically, beating Bermuda with a 1–2 combination in the decisive King of the Castle race.
After four days of rapid-fire tactical racing in the heart of Stockholm, that victory ensured Ireland finished immediately behind the four teams that contested the medal matches — fifth overall at the 2026 Team Racing World Championship.
Final top six: USA 1, USA 2, Great Britain, New Zealand, Ireland, Bermuda.
