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Unpacking the Draft Protocol for the 38th America's Cup

The draft AC38 Protocol outlines major changes for the next America’s Cup, including a new crew format, nationality rules, cost controls, and the creation of a team-led partnership to manage future Cups.

America’s Cup protocol documents are long and often challenging to wade through. The draft document for the AC38 protocol is no different, but it does, however, contain some significant elements that America’s Cup fans need to know about.

There’s a lot of detail and it’s a lot to read, so to save you some time here’s our handy roundup of everything you need to know:

The introduction of a new America’s Cup Partnership (ACP)

This appears to be a framework agreement between the competing teams that will take responsibility for organising the 38th America’s Cup and – significantly – future cycles of the America’s Cup. Once formed the ACP would take over responsibility for AC38 from the AC38 Event Authority (effectively Emirates Team New Zealand). This is planned to happen as quickly as possible after June 30, 2025.

All commercial rights relating to AC38 on a worldwide basis are vested in the ACP – effectively giving the competing teams a slice of the event’s financial pie.

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