CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY BECKONS
MARSTRAND, Sweden (3 July 2026) – The island of Marstrand is set for a thrilling Championship Saturday at the 2026 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women’s Trophy final, with hometown star Oscar Engström/ Team Liros and American match racing ace Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing advancing to the Open Match Cup final. Sweden’s Martina Carlsson/ Beyond Racing is also chasing her first women’s world tour title in the Nordea Women’s Trophy against defending champion Pauline Courtois and the Match in Pink from Normandy, France.
With fresh north-westerly winds gusting above 20 knots testing crews throughout the day, the quarterfinals and semifinals delivered dramatic comebacks, major upsets and world-class match racing, leaving just four teams standing in the battle for two prestigious titles at this week’s GKSS Match Cup Sweden hosted by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club, and an official stage of the World Match Racing Tour.
Engström Keeps Home Hopes Alive
After earning a direct berth to the semifinals by topping the round robin stage with a 6-3 record, Engström watched the morning’s quarterfinals unfold before launching his own bid for the title.
The biggest surprise of the day came from France’s Ange Delerce, competing in his first World Match Racing Tour championship event whose remarkable debut appearance in continued with a stunning 3-1 upset victory over seven-time Match Cup Sweden champion Björn Hansen and the Hansen Sailing Team.
Local favourite Johnie Berntsson delighted the home crowd in a gripping five-race battle, edging Australia’s Cole Tapper and Kairos Racing 3-2 to reach the semifinals. Meanwhile, 2024 Match Cup Sweden champion Chris Poole and Riptide Racing survived an equally dramatic contest, defeating defending champion Jeppe Borch of Denmark 3-2 to end Borch’s title defence.
In the semifinals, Engström produced one of his strongest performances of the regatta, defeating fellow Swede Berntsson 2-0 to secure his place in the championship match.
Poole, chasing his second Match Cup Sweden title in three years, was pushed all the way by the fearless Delerce before prevailing 2-1 in their hard-fought semifinal match.
Although his challenge ended just short of the final, Delerce leaves Marstrand having announced himself as one of the World Match Racing Tour’s brightest emerging talents. The French skipper qualified fifth from the round robin before eliminating one of the event’s greatest champions to reach the final four in his first appearance.
Carlsson’s Perfect Run Continues
The Nordea Women’s Trophy will also feature a tense final, with Sweden’s Martina Carlsson taking on defending champion and reigning women’s match racing world champion Pauline Courtois of France with her Match in Pink team from Normandy.
Carlsson and her Beyond Racing crew have been the standout performers of the week, extending their unbeaten record to nine consecutive race wins with a 2-0 semifinal victory over Denmark’s Lea Richter Vogelius and WOW Racing.
Courtois continued her own impressive title defence by defeating former champion Anna Östling and WINGS Sailing 2-0, preventing an all-Swedish final and keeping the French skipper firmly on course for back-to-back Nordea Women’s Trophy victories.
Earlier in the day, Östling advanced by defeating American newcomers Caroline Bayless and Team Something Chill 3-1, Courtois swept fellow French skipper Julia D’Amodio and Shark Caviar Racing 3-0, while Richter Vogelius booked her semifinal place with a 3-1 victory over the Netherlands’ Julia Aartsen and Team Out of the Box.
Championship Saturday Awaits
With both championship matchups now confirmed, anticipation is building for a spectacular finale.
Can Engström complete a dream week in front of his home supporters and capture the biggest title of his career? Or will Poole add another Match Cup Sweden crown to his growing list of international victories?
In the women’s competition, Carlsson’s flawless campaign will be put to its toughest test against the defending champion as Courtois looks to retain the Nordea Women’s Trophy.
For full results, see www.matchracingresults.com
2026 GKSS Match Cup Sweden Entries:
🇺🇸 Chris Poole, USA, Riptide Racing
Crew: Luke Payne, Mal Parker, Adam Minoprio
🇸🇪 Johnie Berntsson, SWE, Berntsson Sailing Team
Crew: Herman Andersson, Patrik Sturesson, Anton Karlsson
🇦🇺 Cole Tapper, AUS, Kairos Racing
Crew: Jack Frewin, Ollie Gilmour, Hamish Vass
🇫🇷 Ian Garreta, FRA, Med Racing
Crew: Thibaut Demai, Pierre Garreta, Amandine Le Van Jacob, Calixte Benoit
🇨🇭 Eric Monnin, SUI, Swiss Match Racing Team
Crew: Cyril Schüpbach, Ute Monnin-Wagner, Simon Brúgger
🇸🇪 Bjorn Hansen, SWE, Hansen Sailing Team
Crew: Nils Bjerkås, Oskar Ljung, Emil Forsgren
🇫🇷 Ange Delerce, FRA, 2003_Sailing Team
Crew: Julia D’Amodio, Thomas Flachon,, Jean Picard, Sylvestre De Giuli Morghen
🇩🇰 Jeppe Borch, DEN, Borch Match Racing
Crew: Sebastian Olsen, Thor Malthe Andersen, Matias Rossing
🇸🇪 Oscar Engström, SWE, Liros Racing
Crew: Rasmus Alnebeck. Emil Wolfgang. Filip Karlsson
🇫🇷 Aurélien Pierroz, FRA, Match in Black
Crew: Sébastien Riot, Kenza Coutard, Camille Pfaff, Aristide Delin
2026 NORDEA Women’s Trophy Entries:
🇫🇷 Pauline Courtois, FRA Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team
Crew: Maelenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker , Laurane Mettraux, Thea Khelif
🇸🇪 Anna Östling, SWE WINGS – SWE
Anna Holmdahl White, Linnéa Wennergren , Svea Sahlin, Annika Carlunger
🇩🇰 Lea Vogelius, DEN WOW Racing
Joan Vestergaard Hansen, Josefine Boel Rasmussen , Lærke Nørgård, Julia Toroi
🇳🇱 Julia Aartsen, NED Team Out of the Box
Iris van Gerrevink , Eva Asbeek Brusse, Nerine Usman, Ismene Usman
🇸🇪 Martina Carlsson, SWE Beyond Racing
Klara Utterström, Amanda Ljunggren, Hanna Gaskell-Brown, Hedvig Hedström
🇫🇷 Julia D’Amodio, FRA Shark Caviar Racing
Roxane Perrot, Clara Bayol, Alice Chiappori, Lilou Ruat
🇺🇸 Lindsey Baab, USA, Fog Racing
Kate Shiber, Elena VandenBerg, Helen Lord, Sally Mace
🇺🇸 Caroline Bayless, USA, Team Something Chill
Katherine McNamara, Nora Ong, Emily Mueller, Caroline Keeffe-Jones
For more updates and information on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour and event documents, visit womenswmrt.com and follow us on social media at Facebook (@womenswmrt), Instagram(@womenswmrt) and X (Twitter) (@womenswmrt)
Women’s World Match Racing Tour 2026:
Stage 1 – KDY Women’s Match Race, Royal Danish Yacht Club, Rungsted, Denmark, 7-10 May - DS 37
Stage 2 – Santa Maria Cup, Eastport Yacht Club, Annapolis, USA, 3-6 June - J/22
Stage 3 – Nordea Womens Trophy – Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, Sweden, 29 June – 4 July - Fareast 28R
Stage 5 – WWMRT FINAL AMAALA, Saudi Arabia, TBC November - J/70
About Women’s World Match Racing Tour
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com
womenswmrt.com
