Hong Kong opens 13-round 2027 SailGP season

A new race in Hong Kong will kick off the 2027 SailGP season, the global sailing series has confirmed as it releases a provisional schedule for next year.

The event in Victoria Harbour, against the backdrop of one of the world’s most spectacular cityscapes, will open the 2027 season on January 23/24. San Francisco will also return to the SailGP calendar after a year away, with the third round of the series scheduled to run on April 3/4.

“SailGP’s 2027 Season represents a major step forward – reflecting both the scale of our ambition, and the strength of the demand we’re seeing from cities and partners globally wanting to be part of the championship,” said series CEO and co-founder Sir Russell Coutts – who has chosen the week of the 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Sardinia to release his dates for next year. All’s fair in love and war.

“Hong Kong is a world-class destination for SailGP – and a venue we expect to deliver strong commercial interest and an unmatched fan experience,” he continued. “Victoria Harbour is built for the close-to-shore stadium racing SailGP is becoming known for around the globe.”

The confirmation of Hong Kong, while not a surprise, will be seen as a major coup for SailGP as the series expands into Asia and what is judged to be the world’s second-largest economy based on GDP. “China represents a strategic long-term growth opportunity for SailGP,” said Coutts. 

“Given their rapid rise to be amongst the top countries in Olympic sailing, the strong existing audience interest, and the potential for a future team, we couldn’t be more excited to bring SailGP to Asia’s World City next January, alongside our partners globally and in the region.”

Raistlin Lau, Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hong Kong, said the deal to host a series that trades on being ‘powered by nature’ “confirms Hong Kong’s status as a premier destination for high-octane international competition. This event will engage our local community in the exhilaration of world-class foiling catamarans, while offering a global stage to showcase our vibrant harbourfront, breathtaking skyline, and world-renowned hospitality, proving that Hong Kong is an unparallelled place to thrill and unwind.”

From Hong Kong, SailGP will travel south to Perth in Australia which opened the 2026 season. As expected, there is no place for Auckland on the schedule, with the return of San Francisco preceding the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix.

Halifax in Canada is next up two weeks later ahead of New York – a switch in order from the schedule this year – before the series heads to Europe and the British round in Portsmouth in July.

Sassnitz in Germany and Valencia retain their respective August and September slots, while there is an addition of a round in Italy just a week after the Spanish event. No venue has been announced for Italy, which hosts AC38 in Naples during July.

The Brazilian round in Rio moves from the spring to autumn with an October date. The series then heads to the Middle East to race in Dubai – but intriguingly the Grand Final to conclude season seven is listed as TBC and without a confirmed date.