SailGP to announce expansion team in coming weeks
The expanding SailGP sailing series will announce details of a 13th team in the “coming weeks” before adding a 14th in 2027.
The Formula 1 of water has an eclectic mix of celebrity, brand and private owners and will see two further teams join the regatta series in the coming years.
Two years ago there were plans to introduce a fan-owned team, based out of Bermuda and the Caribbean, but funding got in the way.
SailGP chief Sir Russell Coutts said “team 13 will be announced in the next few weeks”, adding that the organisation had “also made the decision that team 14 will start in 2027”.
The Australian SailGP team is owned by a consortium which includes Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds and the Greatest Showman star Hugh Jackman while investment fund Mubadala Capital own the Brazilian team.
SailGP investment
Kylian Mbappe is involved with the French team alongside Ares Management, Sir Ben Ainslie runs the British team and the likes of Anne Hathaway, Sebastian Vettel and Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo are also involved.
The league has become increasingly popular with private backers and sponsors, with the likes of Bonds, Howden and Emirates all major players in the franchise competition.
The season itself has been a good one for Great Britain, with Ainslie’s side top of the table with four races to go.
The regatta party heads to the glitz of Saint-Tropez this weekend before race weekends in Geneva, Andalucia and Abu Dhabi.
Beginning in 2018 as the brainchild of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, SailGP has risen to become a stable sporting competition with a highbrow association.
Having begun with just six teams, the roster has risen to 12 for the 2025 season before planned expansions before 2027.
Australia have won three of the four completed seasons, with Spain taking the crown last time out.