Sardinia: The Italian island with roots in America’s Cup History

For an island that has never hosted an America’s Cup event until now - Sardinia has a lot to shout about when it comes to its connection with the Auld Mug.

It plays host to the first, and possibly only, preliminary regatta of the 38th America’s Cup and is being held in the Sardinian port of Cagliari from 21 - 24 May 2026.

But this isn’t Sardinia’s only connection with the Cup, its role goes all the way back to Italy’s first ever challenge in 1983.

Porto Cervo lies on the North East corner of the Mediterranean island and is home to Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), the club that mounted Italy’s first ever America’s Cup challenge in 1983.

The challenge was glittered with Italian class and pedigree. Funded by the club’s founder and president, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV alongside President of Fiat, Gianni Agnelli. The team was also managed by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, former chairman of Ferrari and director of the 1990 FIFA World Cup organising committee.

Under Montezemolo's management, the team entered into the inaugural Louis Vuitton Cup - the first year of the luxury Italian brand’s title sponsorship of the Challenger Selection Series - with their boat Azzurra I.

Skippered by Cino Ricci and helmed by Mauro Pelaschier, Azzurra’s performance was quickly apparent and the team became fan favourites.

The Italians made it to the semi-finals of the Challenger Selection Series, but were knocked out by the eventual, historic winners of the 25th America’s Cup itself, Australia II.

Walk the path around Porto Cervo Marina and you'll find Azzurra I sitting proud, as if it knows its place in history.

A valiant effort for a first go at sport’s oldest trophy - the Azzurra challenge gained a large and passionate following in Italy and is the foundation of Italy’s pride for the current Luna Rossa project.

Fast forward a few years, and the coastal port of Cagliari in southern Sardinia has been the home base of Luna Rossa since 2014.

But how did the base come to be?

After Luna Rossa’s loss to Emirates Team New Zealand in the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup, the team vowed to go again and inherited the title of official Challenger of Record for the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017.

This led to Patrizio Bertelli’s team building the base in Cagliari in 2014 in preparation for their challenge. However, the team later withdrew from the Cup in protest of a design switch from the AC72 to the AC50 (what we now know as the foundations of SailGP’s F50).

Why is this relevant to Sardinia, I hear you ask?

The team’s withdrawal triggered the cancellation of a proposed America’s Cup World Series event in Cagliari. If it wasn’t for the design switch, we would have already witnessed Cagliari’s proof as an America’s Cup venue.

The upcoming preliminary regatta is a big deal for Italy and its relationship with the America's Cup. If it goes well, will we see more America’s Cup regattas in Cagliari? Who knows. If it's Luna Rossa's year, Sardinia could yet emerge as a serious contender to host a future Cup. It's certainly got the pedigree.