Ben Ainslie’s Team Leads Louis Vuitton Cup

Ben Ainslie’s Ineos Britannia team has topped the round-robin stage of the Louis Vuitton Cup, positioning themselves as the leading contenders to become the first British crew to win the America’s Cup. By finishing first in the round-robin qualifiers, Ainslie’s team surpassed competitors from Italy, the United States, Switzerland and France, who have now been eliminated.

Consequently, as group winners, Ineos Britannia will select their semi-final opponents. Despite their impressive performance, Ben Ainslie has yet to reveal which team they will face in the semi-finals scheduled to take place in the Mediterranean Sea off Barcelona’s coast. After a recent victory over the Italian team in a sail-off, Ainslie expressed surprise at their success and stressed the importance of maintaining their momentum.

“To be honest, we weren’t really expecting that,” Ainslie said. “I think we’ve got a quick package, so we’ve just got to keep that ball rolling.” Looking ahead, the Louis Vuitton Cup will hold the semi-finals from September 14 to 23, and the top team will advance to the final based on a first-to-five-wins format. The final, scheduled from September 26 to October 7, will use a first-to-seven-wins structure.

Consequently, this format will determine which team will challenge the defending champions, Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup. Ultimately, the 37th America’s Cup match will occur from October 12 to 17 where the Louis Vuitton Cup winner will compete against Team New Zealand, aiming to secure seven race victories to claim the trophy.