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The America’s Cup is still New Zealand’s Cup as Peter Burling and his Emirates Team New Zealand ensured the Auld Mug remains in Kiwi hands for a record third consecutive campaign.
The New Zealand syndicate, co-helmed by Burling and Nathan Outteridge, completed one of the most successful America’s Cup campaigns in history, securing the three-peat with a commanding 7-2 win over INEOS Britannia in the Cup Match held in Barcelona this October.
In doing so, they became the first team to win the America’s Cup three times in a row, having also defeated Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in Auckland in 2021 and Oracle Team USA in Bermuda in 2017.
The Kiwis cemented their place in the record books as one of the finest sporting teams in history. Their only setback was two race defeats on the third day of competition, a minor blip in an otherwise flawless defence.
They retained the world’s oldest sporting trophy with a decisive victory in the final race, overcoming a fiercely competitive British team led by Sir Ben Ainslie.
“What an incredible day, an incredible campaign, and just seeing it all come together in such a tight race – it’s something we’re incredibly proud of,” Burling said before hoisting the trophy.
“I’m just incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished. The America’s Cup is one of the hardest sporting trophies to win. So many elements have to come together, and to have done that three times in a row is incredibly special.”
Peter Burling and his Emirates Team New Zealand won a third consecutive America's Cup. Photos / America's Cup
This triumph marks the end of a three-year campaign to retain the Auld Mug, with Burling – also a three-time Olympic medallist – becoming the most successful helmsman in the event’s 173-year history.
“I’m not sure what the future holds, but I’m sure it will be something exciting,” he added, before praising Ainslie’s efforts.
“All credit to Ben and INEOS Britannia. They put together an incredible challenge and pushed us all the way. Every race felt like a battle, and they were amazing challengers,” Burling said.
“We knew we had to bring our A-game to beat them, and I’m really proud of how we did that as a team.”
A disappointed Ainslie acknowledged the Kiwis’ supremacy, calling them the best America’s Cup team ever after his third attempt at winning Britain’s first Cup ended in defeat.
INEOS Britannia had reached the final for the first time in 60 years, having defeated Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the Louis Vuitton series.
“You’ve got to give credit where it’s due,” Ainslie said. “Falling short at the final hurdle is tough, but we were up against one of the greatest teams in America’s Cup history – if not the best. We’ll take this on the chin, and I think the team has done a brilliant job throughout the campaign. As one very plucky Brit said, it’s the courage to continue that counts, and that’s what we’re up for.”
Ainslie confirmed that the British team would be the Challenger of Record for the next America’s Cup but would not commit to remaining at the helm, stating only that he would “do what’s best for the team”.
Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton, when asked about the future of the event, said the aim was to “continue the growth we’ve seen since we first won the America’s Cup in 2017”.
This year’s event attracted 2.56 million attendees between 22 August and 19 October 2024.
Over the 59 days of the event, initial indicators suggested a 50 per cent increase in total broadcast and media audience compared to the 2021 competition.
“The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup has confirmed the event as one of the most unique properties in international sport, so our objective is to build on this success. We’re looking to increase audience and engagement across different regions, territories, and demographics,” Dalton said.
The hosting of the event in Barcelona also drove significant growth across various fronts, with successes in the Puig Women’s America’s Cup, the Unicredit Youth America’s Cup, and the AC Sailing E-Sport World Championship.
Luna Rossi Prada Pirelli won the inaugural women’s event, defeating Britain’s Athena Pathway in the final.
Emirates Team New Zealand – represented by Jo Aleh, Liv Mackay, Molly Meech, Gemma Jones and Erica Dawson – were eliminated at the semifinal stage, finishing fifth overall.
The Italians also triumphed in the match race final of the youth competition against NYYC American Magic after the Kiwi crew of Seb Menzies, Leonard Takahashi, Josh Armit, Oscar Gunn and Veerle ten Have failed to make the six-team semifinals.
“As a result of these successes, we now have several valuable properties that we wish to continue developing. We’re keeping an open mind about how best to achieve this, whether with a single venue or multiple venues, to supercharge the 38th America’s Cup with a broader global footprint, more teams, and expanded opportunities,” Dalton added. “It would be difficult to expand the number of teams based on the available infrastructure in Barcelona.”
The Kiwis defeated INEOS Britannia 7-2 in the America's Cup Match. / America's Cup
How the Kiwis won the Auld Mug
Race 1
The British were late to the start box, entering with a minute to go and were faced with a determined Kiwi team doing their level best to disrupt airflow, positioning and the ultimate lead back to the line. Emirates Team New Zealand started fast to leeward with separation, leaping forward off the line and by the first tack back had established a lead they would never lose over the next six legs of the course. Showing manoeuvre execution of the highest order, the Kiwis were 24 seconds up at the first mark and despite some spirited downwind comebacks from INEOS Britannia, they extended on every leg and rounded the final windward mark 56 seconds ahead before winning by 41 seconds.
Emirates Team New Zealand 1 - 0 INEOS Britannia
Race 2
A fired-up Challenger started with more determination and accuracy but were greeted by an aggressive ETNZ at the start. Tacking right on the starboard marker, the Kiwis headed to the right boundary and a fascinating duel ensued with lead changes aplenty. On a shorter-legged course and more laps (eight in total), manoeuvre execution was tested and the third beat proved decisive, as ETNZ stepped out on INEOS who had been gambling to the right side of the course. The Kiwis bounced the British relentlessly right and bore away. By the finish, they were reading the puffs masterfully and sailing supremely with pitch-perfect flight control and smooth execution of their tacks and gybes and eventually crossed the line 27 seconds ahead.
Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 INEOS Britannia
Race 3
A well-practised move saw ETNZ force a ‘get-back’ penalty of 75 metres on INEOS in the pre-start and it proved to be a hard race to get back into for Sir Ben Ainslie and his team. Try as they might, the British were allowed no leverage as the Kiwis covered tenaciously throughout the three laps of the 27-minute battle. The Defender showed all the assuredness of a champion team at the top of their game, gaining on every leg, and picking the wind pressure beautifully across a tricky easterly facing course that was peppered with pressure patches. Despite showing impressive straight-line speed, INEOS couldn’t recover and as the wind dropped to around seven knots, ETNZ claimed victory by 52 seconds.
Emirates Team New Zealand 3-0 INEOS Britannia
Race 4
Adopting a different pre-start game plan, INEOS elected to disengage from any potential penalty-inducing close calls and instead trusted the outright speed of their yacht to try to outmuscle the Kiwis in a straight line. It was a tactic that yielded an early lead before they allowed ETNZ to duck and head to the right of the course at the next convergence. The Kiwis eked their way back level before tacking to block the Challenger’s route to the windward gate. What followed was expert front-running from Burling and Co., as they made marginal gains at every opportunity and defended tenaciously. ETNZ rounded the final gate 23 seconds ahead before an assured downwind leg saw them triumph by the same time.
Emirates Team New Zealand 4-0 INEOS Britannia
Race 5
A lumpy sea state and light breeze made it challenging to keep the AC75s flying consistently and ETNZ dialled into the starting box from the port end but without the speed to comfortably cross INEOS’ starboard gybe entry. Their onboard decision to gybe around saw Taihoro drop into displacement mode and the INEOS crew shot out to a lead of over 1,700m before the Kiwis finally got on the foils. The British coaxed and cajoled their boat around the next six legs and by the time they bore away at the final windward mark, they led by over half a leg. They nailed three gybes on the final downwind leg to take their first win by one minute and 18 seconds.
Emirates Team New Zealand 4-1 INEOS Britannia
Race 6
Buoyed by their opening victory, INEOS opted for a high-speed pin-end start and grabbed an early positional advantage. The Kiwis, meanwhile, applied maximum pressure throughout, keeping the delta down to no more than 16 seconds at any gate rounding. An uncharacteristic mistake in the final approaches to the leeward gate cost ETNZ valuable time and distance and made passing difficult. Despite slipping up with one poor touchdown gybe and a couple of slow tacks, the British sailed a textbook match race, minimising their manoeuvres for a hard-fought seven-second victory. It was the first time since 1934 that they won two races in an America’s Cup Match and halted the Kiwi’s early-series momentum – at least temporarily.
Emirates Team New Zealand 4-2 INEOS Britannia
Race 7
In smoother conditions, Taihoro looked like a different boat, employing a consistent ride height and fast manoeuvres. Sharp turns and fine execution from both teams yielded a fascinating lead-back to the line with the British making the better time-on-distance. Crucially, ETNZ held the windward position and immediately adopted a high mode with a smaller J3 jib. Determined to hold the right, the Kiwis defended hard, first tacking on the bow of Britannia and forcing them left before ignoring the British and heading hard right into a big left shift that secured a lead that was almost insurmountable by the first mark. ETNZ sailed supremely – gaining at each turning gate to cross the finish line one minute and 13 seconds ahead.
Emirates Team New Zealand 5-2 INEOS Britannia
Race 8
After a pre-start where the New Zealanders maintained a controlling leeward position throughout, Burling nailed the final approach to the line – starting just one metre back at a speed of 38 knots. INEOS, to windward, was first to tack away, but the Kiwis ignored the chance to immediately cover, clicking into more pressure and digging into it before tacking back to the right side. The gain was immediate and by the first gate, they were 15 seconds up and looking imperious. A near-perfect seventh leg, the last upwind, saw ETNZ extend their lead to over 50 seconds and from there they gybed consistently on the pressure builds to record a resounding 55-second victory and move to match point in the Cup Match.
Emirates Team New Zealand 6-2 INEOS Britannia
Race 9
Ignoring the chance to tack immediately after the start and cover INEOS, the canny Kiwi afterguard held on straight, sailing into increased pressure and a favourable shift. A rare miscalculation on the second windward leg saw INEOS draw level before ETNZ came scorching across on port gybe to regain the advantage. Having seen their lead evaporate once, they were in no mood to give it up again and on the final beat, they played it conservatively up the right side, tacking on the British where necessary. It was brilliance combined with boat speed, and after a final downwind leg to the finish, the Kiwis flew down the course before a final gybe on the port layline angled them into the finish line and the history books.
Emirates Team New Zealand win the America’s Cup Match 7-2
