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How Does The SailGP Season Work And How Do Teams Win?

How do teams win the Rolex SailGP Championship?

Published 06/12/2026

Thirteen teams compete for 11 months across 13 events and five continents, all chasing one common goal: the Rolex SailGP Championship. But how do you actually win SailGP?

SailGP is a single-design, close-to-shore, sailboat racing league that brings sailing action closer to crowds than ever before, in iconic waterfront destinations across the globe. From Sydney, Auckland and New York, to the Grand Final in Abu Dhabi.

But how does it all work across the season? We’ve got everything you need to know about the SailGP season.

The Regular Season

Unlike its competitors, the SailGP season takes place at regular intervals with a season calendar that spans events across the globe.

In 2026, there are new stops in Rio de Janeiro and Valencia, while the fleet returns to Halifax and Perth after seasons off. In 2027, the fleet will head to Hong Kong and Rome for the first time ever – expanding into two new nations.

Each event follows the same simple format. There are two days of racing and two types of race.

Day 1, Saturday:

4x Fleet Races

Day 2, Sunday:

3x Fleet Races

1x Event Final

Fleet races are short, sharp races between all 13 national teams, limited to 16 minutes. They usually have seven legs, with the first boat home declared the winner.

Points are distributed based on finishing position.

P1 = 10 points

P2 = 9 points

P3 = 8 points

P4 = 7 points

P5 = 6 points

P6 = 5 points

P7 = 4 points

P8 = 3 points

P9 = 2 points

P10 = 1 point

P11-P13 = 0 points

This format repeated through Saturday and Sunday’s seven total Fleet Races, all building toward the event Final on Super Sunday.

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Super Sunday

Just finishing top of the event leaderboard does not guarantee glory – ensuring each SailGP event is usually wide open until the seventh and final Fleet Race of the weekend.

The top three teams based on their Fleet Race points tally progress to the event Final. If two or more teams are tied on points, the team that placed higher in the last race wins the tiebreaker. So, for example, if three teams were tied for P3 on the same number of points and finished P4, P8 and P11 in their last race, the team in P4 would take the spot in the final.

The Final

Nothing changes in the Final – it’s a winner-takes-all shot at glory for three teams.

The race course may move slightly depending on sea state and the tide, but fundamentally, it is still a seven-leg shootout for the silverware. Three teams enter the startbox and follow the same course as they have throughout the weekend with the first team to cross the finish line taking the event win and 10 points toward their season total.

Championship ramifications

After each event - subject to any penalties or rulings from the Chief Umpire and Race Committee - points are distributed based on finishing position. The three finalists will get 10, 9 or 8 points based on their Final position.

Thereafter, the distribution of points follows the Fleet Race format –

P4 = 7 points

P5 = 6 points

P6 = 5 points

P7 = 4 points

P8 = 3 points

P9 = 2 points

P10 = 1 point

P11-P13 = 0 points

These are added to the Championship standings which are updated after each event, all building towards the Grand Final.

The Grand Final

The final event of the SailGP Championship season also incorporates the season’s Grand Final.

The weekend follows the same format throughout Saturday with four Fleet Races. There are a further three Fleet Races on Sunday, with teams all competing for points in the same way as they have throughout the season. This is the last chance to jostle for positions and head to the Grand Final.

Once those points have been allocated, the three teams with the most event points on the season head to the Grand Final, instead of the three teams with the most Fleet Race points progressing to an event Final.

The 2025 Rolex SailGP Championship Grand Final was contested by Emirates GBR, the BONDS Flying Roos and the Black Foils as the teams with the most event points through the season.

Once again, the Grand Final follows the same format as any other event. Three teams – one shot at glory. P1 in the Championship means nothing if you don’t capitalize at the Grand Final.

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