SailGP Opens European Summer Series in Portsmouth
by SailGP 23 Jul 18:51 BST
25-26 July 2026
Canada NorthStar SailGP Team leads New Zealand SailGP Team, Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team and Spain SailGP Team in front of the SailGP Grandstand on Race Day 2 of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
With the season half-run and every point counting, SailGP touches down on the Solent this weekend for the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix. The eighth stop of the 2026 Season, the event opens a European stretch that will decide who lines up for the winner-takes-all Grand Final in Abu Dhabi this November.
Thirteen international teams will race meters from shore in identical F50 foiling catamarans at speeds in excess of 100 km/h – with up to 20,000 ticketed fans packed onto Southsea Common across the weekend.
The Bonds Flying Roos arrive with an 18-point lead after a fourth in Halifax that snapped their back-to-back winning streak. Most recent event winners Los Gallos are closing in behind them. But eyes will be on defending Rolex SailGP Champions Emirates Great Britain, currently third and looking to give a home crowd on Southsea Common something to shout about.
SailGP Returns to Europe, With Portsmouth in the Spotlight
Portsmouth opens a four-stop European summer that runs on to Sassnitz (Germany), Valencia (Spain) and Geneva (Switzerland). It is also a flagship – home water for defending champions Emirates Great Britain and a marquee fixture in the British summer of sport calendar. The teams that arrive in Sassnitz on the front foot will be the ones who got Portsmouth right.
Group Racing in Portsmouth – and Beyond
With the fleet now at a record 13 teams — and more joining in coming seasons — SailGP has adopted group racing to preserve close, high-quality competition on tight courses. The fleet is split into two heats that race separately before points combine. Portsmouth's compact Solent course will run the format again, and the intention is to carry it through the remainder of the 2026 Season.
- Group A: Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Denmark, Brazil
- Group B: Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Germany, France, Great Britain
Martine Grael Returns to the Driver's Seat
Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team returns Martine Grael to the wheel in Portsmouth after handing the driver's seat to Paul Goodison for the Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax last month. The double Olympic champion, SailGP's first-ever female driver, will look to lift the team off the bottom of the standings after a last-place finish in Halifax.
Approaching Business End of the Season
The back half has been kingmaker before. It was at this stage in 2025 that Emirates Great Britain began the run of consistent results that carried them all the way to the Grand Final and the league trophy – the kind of momentum every team in the fleet is now hunting. Driver Tom Slingsby and the current fleet benchmark Bonds Flying Roos will be looking to shut that door before it opens.
Win Big: Predict Top Four for USD $25K
US$25,000 is on the table for fans who can pick the top four teams in Sunday's event final. Entries close before racing gets underway on July 25, with winners contacted directly by SailGP.
Where to Watch
Racing gets underway at 4:30 p.m. BST. Fans can follow all the action from the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth, across major broadcast territories, including on TNT Sports in the UK. The event will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 (Saturday) and 3 (Sunday). Find out more at SailGP.com or check local listings.