Dates set for 2026 Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup and Ficker Cup

The Long Beach Yacht Club and World Match Racing Tour today announced the dates for the 2026 Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup and Ficker Cup, both official stages of the World Match Racing Tour, the longest running global professional sailing series.

2026 will mark the 61^st edition of the iconic Congressional Cup event to be held April 29 through May 3, 2026 with a practice day on April 28. The Ficker Cup, a qualifying event, will be held April 24 through April 26, with a practice day on April 23. Both events will kick off the first US based World Match Racing Tour events for the 2026 season.

The Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup is widely regarded as the ‘granddaddy’ of modern world-class match racing.  Established in 1965, the event pioneered on-the-water umpiring which is now used at all match racing events around the world. Its fleet of identical Catalina 37s – a proven monohull designed specifically for match racing – continues to provide a uniquely competitive and physically demanding platform.

As a founding event of the World Match RacingTour (WMRT), which this year celebrates its 25^th Anniversary, the Congressional Cup will continue its format as a ten-team, double round robin series, followed by semi and petit finals. The final stage will determine the victor of the Congressional Cup trophy and prestigious Crimson Blazer.

The event will feature an all-star, international lineup, including some of the world’s top 10 ranked match racing skippers. Eight invitees, to be announced later this year, will be joined by the top two finishers from the 2026 Ficker Cup, the official qualifier for the Congressional Cup.

“The City of Long Beach is a waterfront playground in the heart of Southern California” said 2026 Congressional Cup Chair Ken Mattfeld, noting its designation as the ‘Aquatic Capital of America’. “This year’s 60^th Anniversary of the Congressional Cup was a very special milestone for the event, and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best match racers and the World Match Racing Tour back to Long Beach again in 2026.”

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