History is being made! We officially know which teams are going straight to the SSL Gold Cup, the Football World Cup in Sailing! The second edition of the SSL Gold Cup will take place from 18 November to 13 December 2026 in Rio de Janeiro.
Teams qualify for the SSL Gold Cup based on the SSL Global Ranking system. Each national team’s score is calculated by combining the ranking positions of the top five skippers from that nation and the ranking positions of the top two crew members from the same nation. The sum of these global ranking positions determines the final points total, which decides qualification.
12 Teams from Europe
We are proud to announce that the qualified European teams are: Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Denmark, France, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.
It is worth noting that SSL Team Great Britain is currently leading the Nations Ranking, while Italy holds third place. In the top ten nations, we also have the Netherlands (5th), Spain (6th), Germany (7th), Denmark (8th), and France (10th).
SSL Team Hungary is ranked 17th, and the team led by Zsombor Berecz will defend their World Cup title won in 2023 in Gran Canaria.
8 Teams from Pan America
United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
SSL Team USA is firmly placed in 2nd position in the Nations Ranking and leads the Pan American ranking. The host nation, SSL Team Brazil, is ranked 14th, alongside Canada (13th) and Argentina (15th).
Also qualified through the ranking system are SSL Team Ecuador and SSL Team Colombia, teams that trained intensively at the SSL Training Center in Switzerland during the summer season of 2025.
Africa and Oceania
SSL Team South Africa has qualified through the ranking system. From Oceania, Australia and New Zealand have also secured their places.
Asia Update
The Asian teams already qualified through the SSL Global Ranking are: China, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, India, and Japan.
Additionally, SSL Team Oman and SSL Team Philippines secured qualification during the event held in Thailand.
Stay tuned, all the remaining details will be announced this week. Exciting updates are coming soon!