America's Cup facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
America's Cup
The America's Cup trophy (ewer), photographed c. 1890–1915
Sport	Sailing match race
Founded	1851 (174 years ago) (1851)
Most recent champion(s)	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (5th title)
Most titles	New York Yacht Club (25 titles)
Official website	AmericasCup.com
2024 America's Cup

The America's Cup is a famous sailing competition. It is the oldest international sports event still happening today. In this race, two sailing yachts compete against each other. One boat is from the club that currently holds the trophy. This club is called the "defender." The other boat is from a club trying to win the cup. This club is called the "challenger."

The team that wins gets the America's Cup trophy. People sometimes call it the "Auld Mug." These races do not happen on a set schedule. They are usually held every three to four years. The defender and challenger agree on the dates.

Any yacht club that follows the rules can challenge for the cup. If a challenging club wins, they become the new holder of the cup. For a long time, only one club challenged at a time. But since 1970, many clubs wanted to challenge. So, a special series of races is held first. This series picks the best challenger to race against the defender.

The America's Cup is very important in the sailing world. It brings together top sailors, boat designers, and wealthy supporters. It tests sailing skills, boat design, and how well teams can raise money. Competing is very expensive. Modern teams can spend over US$100 million. The winner in 2013 spent around US$300 million.

The most recent race was the 2024 America's Cup. It took place in October 2024. The defending champions, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, won against INEOS Britannia. The final score was 7-2.

History of the America's Cup
The America's Cup Trophy
How to Challenge for the Cup
Challengers and Defenders
Winning Clubs and Skippers
- Winning Clubs
- Skippers with Multiple Wins
See also

History of the America's Cup

The America's Cup is the oldest international sports competition. The trophy itself was made in 1848. It was first called the "RYS £100 Cup." The first race for this cup happened on August 22, 1851. It was around the Isle of Wight in England.

The race was between the yacht America from the New York Yacht Club and 15 boats from the Royal Yacht Squadron. Even Queen Victoria watched the race. America won this first race. This is why the competition is named after the winning yacht.

In 1857, the people who owned America gave the cup to the New York Yacht Club. They created a special document called the Deed of Gift of the America's Cup. This document sets the rules for challenging for the cup. It says the cup must be a "perpetual challenge Cup for friendly competition between foreign countries." It also explains how clubs can challenge. The Deed of Gift makes it clear that the cup belongs to the winning club, not to the boat's owner.

The New York Yacht Club held the trophy for a very long time. They kept it from 1857 until 1983. They successfully defended the cup 24 times in a row. This was the longest winning streak in any sport, lasting 132 years. In 1983, the Royal Perth Yacht Club from Australia finally beat them with their yacht Australia II.

Over the years, the types of yachts used in the race changed. Early races used large yachts owned by rich people. After World War II, the rules changed to allow smaller, less expensive boats. From 1958 to 1987, a type of boat called the 12-metre class was used. Later, other special classes of boats were created for the race.

The 2010 America's Cup used large, fast multihull yachts. The winning team then chose to use AC72 foiling catamarans for the 2013 America's Cup. These boats can lift out of the water and go very fast. The 2017 America's Cup used smaller, 50-foot foiling catamarans.

The America's Cup Trophy

The trophy is also known as the "Auld Mug." It is a fancy sterling silver ewer (a type of pitcher). It was made in 1848 by Garrard & Co. A nobleman named Henry William Paget bought it. He donated it for a race in 1851.

The cup was first called the 'R.Y.S. £100 Cup'. This meant it was worth 100 British Pounds. The British Royal Yacht Squadron awarded it in 1851. The winning boat was the schooner America. It was owned by a group from the New York Yacht Club.

In 1857, the trophy was given to the New York Yacht Club forever. The Deed of Gift renamed it the 'America's Cup' after the winning yacht. This made it a trophy for international competition.

The cup was mistakenly engraved as the "100 Guinea Cup." A guinea was an old British money unit. People also called it the "Queen's Cup." Today, it is officially the "America's Cup." Sailors often lovingly call it the "Auld Mug." The names of all the competing yachts are carved onto it. The cup has been changed twice to add more bases for names.

How to Challenge for the Cup

All challenges for the America's Cup follow the rules in the Deed of Gift of the America's Cup. This document explains which clubs can challenge. It also says what information a challenging club must provide. The defender and challenger usually agree on most race details. But the Deed of Gift has rules for what happens if they cannot agree. The first valid challenge must be accepted by the defender.

To challenge, a club must be an "organized yacht Club" from a different country than the defender. The club must be officially recognized. It also needs to hold an "annual regatta" (a yearly sailing race event). This regatta must be on the ocean or a large body of water connected to the sea. The Great Lakes in North America are considered large enough.

The challenge document must include proposed race dates. These dates must be at least 10 months after the challenge is made. It also needs to give details about the yacht. This includes its length and width. The boats must be powered only by sails. They must also be built in the country of the challenging or defending club.

The defender and challenger can agree to change many of these rules. Since 1958, it has been common for the defender and a main challenger to agree on a "Challenger of Record." This challenger then organizes a series of races for other yacht clubs. The winner of this series becomes the official challenger for the America's Cup. This winner also receives the Herbert Pell Cup and another sponsored cup, like the Prada Cup or Louis Vuitton Cup.

If the clubs cannot agree on the rules, the Deed of Gift has a backup plan. It says the race will be a "first-to-two" match. It will be held on specific ocean courses chosen by the defender. The defender's rules will apply, as long as they follow the Deed of Gift.

Challengers and Defenders

Challengers and defenders
Rule	Year	Venue	Defending club	Defender	Score	Challenger	Challenging club
Fleet racing	1851	Isle of Wight	Royal Yacht Squadron	8 cutters and 7 schooners, runner-up Aurora	0–1	John Cox Stevens syndicate, America	New York Yacht Club
Fleet racing	1870	New York City	New York Yacht Club	17 schooners, winner Franklin Osgood's Magic	1–0	James Lloyd Ashbury, Cambria	Royal Thames Yacht Club
Schooner match	1871	New York City	New York Yacht Club	Franklin Osgood, Columbia (2–1) and William Proctor Douglas, Sappho (2–0)	4–1	James Lloyd Ashbury, Livonia	Royal Harwich Yacht Club
Schooner match	1876	New York City	New York Yacht Club	John Stiles Dickerson, Madeleine	2–0	Charles Gifford, Countess of Dufferin	Royal Canadian Yacht Club
65 ft sloop	1881	New York City	New York Yacht Club	Joseph Richard Busk, Mischief	2–0	Alexander Cuthbert, Atalanta	Bay of Quinte Yacht Club
NYYC 85ft	1885	New York City	New York Yacht Club	John Malcolm Forbes syndicate, Puritan	2–0	Sir Richard Sutton, Genesta	Royal Yacht Squadron
	1886	New York City	New York Yacht Club	Charles Jackson Paine, Mayflower	2–0	Lt. & Mrs. William Henn, Galatea	Royal Northern Yacht Club
	1887	New York City	New York Yacht Club	Charles Jackson Paine, Volunteer	2–0	James Bell syndicate, Thistle	Royal Clyde Yacht Club
SCYC 85ft	1893	New York City	New York Yacht Club	Charles Oliver Iselin syndicate, Vigilant	3–0	Earl of Dunraven, Valkyrie II	Royal Yacht Squadron
SCYC 90ft	1895	New York City	New York Yacht Club	William K. Vanderbilt syndicate, Defender	3–0	Earl of Dunraven syndicate, Valkyrie III	Royal Yacht Squadron
	1899	New York City	New York Yacht Club	J. Pierpont Morgan syndicate, Columbia	3–0	Sir Thomas Lipton, Shamrock	Royal Ulster Yacht Club
	1901	New York City	New York Yacht Club	J. Pierpont Morgan syndicate, Columbia	3–0	Sir Thomas Lipton, Shamrock II	Royal Ulster Yacht Club
	1903	New York City	New York Yacht Club	Cornelius Vanderbilt III syndicate, Reliance	3–0	Sir Thomas Lipton, Shamrock III	Royal Ulster Yacht Club
Universal 75 ft	1920	New York City	New York Yacht Club	Henry Walters syndicate, Resolute	3–2	Sir Thomas Lipton, Shamrock IV	Royal Ulster Yacht Club
J-Class	1930	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Harold S. Vanderbilt syndicate, Enterprise	4–0	Sir Thomas Lipton, Shamrock V	Royal Ulster Yacht Club
	1934	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Harold S. Vanderbilt syndicate, Rainbow	4–2	Sir Thomas Sopwith, Endeavour	Royal Yacht Squadron
	1937	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Harold S. Vanderbilt, Ranger	4–0	Sir Thomas Sopwith, Endeavour II	Royal Yacht Squadron
12 Metre	1958	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Henry Sears, Columbia	4–0	Hugh Goodson syndicate, Sceptre	Royal Yacht Squadron
	1962	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Mercer, Walsh, Frese syndicate, Weatherly	4–1	Sir Frank Packer, Gretel	Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
	1964	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Eric Ridder syndicate, Constellation	4–0	Anthony Boyden, Sovereign	Royal Thames Yacht Club
	1967	Newport	New York Yacht Club	William Justice Strawbridge syndicate, Intrepid	4–0	Emil Christensen, Dame Pattie	Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
	1970	Newport	New York Yacht Club	William Justice Strawbridge syndicate, Intrepid	4–1	Sir Frank Packer, Gretel II	Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
	1974	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Robert Willis McCullough syndicate, Courageous	4–0	Alan Bond, Southern Cross	Royal Perth Yacht Club
	1977	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Ted Turner, Courageous	4–0	Alan Bond, Australia	Sun City Yacht Club
	1980	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Freedom syndicate, Freedom	4–1	Alan Bond, Australia	Royal Perth Yacht Club
	1983	Newport	New York Yacht Club	Freedom syndicate, Liberty	3–4	Alan Bond, Australia II	Royal Perth Yacht Club
	1987	Fremantle	Royal Perth Yacht Club	Kevin Parry, Kookaburra III	0–4	Sail America, Stars & Stripes 87	San Diego Yacht Club
DOG match	1988	San Diego	San Diego Yacht Club	Sail America, Stars & Stripes 88	2–0	Fay Richwhite, KZ-1 New Zealand	Mercury Bay Boating Club
IACC	1992	San Diego	San Diego Yacht Club	Bill Koch, America³	4–1	Raul Gardini, Il Moro di Venezia	Compagnia della Vela
	1995	San Diego	San Diego Yacht Club	Sail America, Young America	0–5	Team New Zealand, Black Magic	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
	2000	Auckland	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron	Team New Zealand, NZL-60	5–0	Prada Challenge, Luna Rossa	Yacht Club Punta Ala
	2003	Auckland	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron	Team New Zealand, NZL 82	0–5	Alinghi, SUI-64	Société Nautique de Genève
	2007	Valencia	Société Nautique de Genève	Alinghi, SUI-100	5–2	Team New Zealand, NZL-92	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
DOG match	2010	Valencia	Société Nautique de Genève	Alinghi, Alinghi 5	0–2	BMW Oracle Racing, USA-17	Golden Gate Yacht Club
AC72	2013	San Francisco	Golden Gate Yacht Club	Oracle Team USA, Oracle Team USA 17	9–8	Team New Zealand, Aotearoa	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
AC50	2017	Bermuda	Golden Gate Yacht Club	Oracle Team USA, 17	1–7	Team New Zealand, Aotearoa	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
AC75	2021	Auckland	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron	Emirates Team New Zealand, Te Rehutai	7–3	Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Luna Rossa	Circolo della Vela Sicilia
	2024	Barcelona	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron	Emirates Team New Zealand, Taihoro	7–2	INEOS Britannia, Britannia RB3	Royal Yacht Squadron
	2027	Naples	Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron	Emirates Team New Zealand		TBD	TBD