America's Cup, the 2026 preliminary regatta in Naples in autumn

The America's Cup preliminary regatta, to be held in Naples this year, could be postponed to the autumn of 2026, in September. Although no date has been officially announced, news had spread (and was apparently included in the timetable) that the teams would arrive in Bagnoli in June and then hold the 'preliminary' in the middle of the summer. Last-minute rumours instead reveal the intention to postpone to the autumn. Apparently, the official date should be announced immediately after the Cagliari regattas, which will be held shortly.

The decision to hold the preliminary tender in the autumn is reportedly due to the need to complete the works that are ongoing in Bagnoli.

The Extraordinary Commissioner for the environmental reclamation and urban regeneration of the area of major national interest Bagnoli-Coroglio is carrying out reclamation and preparation work on the Bagnoli area earmarked for the America's Cup. The work is advancing, relentlessly, but the complexity of the work requires time. The aim is to prepare the landfill area, destined precisely for the team village, with infrastructure and services. Because afterwards, the individual teams participating in the 38th Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup in 2027 will be responsible for setting up the village. "We have not set any date for the 2026 regatta in Naples," says Sport e Salute, the company entrusted with directing the event, "for now we will start in Cagliari from 21 to 24 May. For Naples there are no dates, after Cagliari we will decide'.

A confirmation that the work schedule in Bagnoli is getting longer can be found in the report of the steering committee for Bagnoli of 15 April, which already described the progress of the work in this way.

"The setting up activities and the main preliminary works have been completed; the environmental capping with the related filling for the levelling of the yards has been completed on approximately half of the fill; the laying of the underground utility networks is in progress; the activities for the crane foundations are underway". So far the description. Then the report of the steering committee continues: "In light of the updated timetable of interventions, the completion of the activities currently underway in the stretch of water in front of the reclaimed area is expected starting from 1 October 2026, in time to allow the hauling of boats and the activities functional to the settlement and full operation of the teams". A forecast that even seems to procrastinate even more than the current rumours about September.