Match racing's two biggest tours will share a stage for the first time in November, with the World Match Racing Tour and its women's counterpart both heading to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast for a back-to-back finals double-header.
AMAALA Yacht Club, on the kingdom's northwestern coastline, will host the pairing of events for the first time. The club says its trade winds and clear waters should suit the world's best match racers well.
The venue's ambitions go beyond hosting a single regatta. AMAALA wants to position itself, and the wider Red Sea, as a genuine destination for international yachting rather than a one-off stop on the calendar.
Both finals will carry a $200,000 prize purse. For the women's event, launched in 2022, that figure is the largest prize fund ever put up for an all-female sailing event.
The Notices of Race for both events have now been released alongside the announcement. The 2026 Women's World Match Racing Tour Final runs Monday 2 to Saturday 7 November, with the World Match Racing Tour Final following directly after, from Monday 9 to Saturday 14 November. World Sailing will crown the winners of each as 2026 Match Racing World Champions.
James Pleasance, Executive Director of the World Match Racing Tour, called it a milestone year for the tour. "Not only is it the first time both world match racing tours will be hosted together, but I am particularly proud of our shared vision and achievement with AMAALA in announcing the first-ever 100% equal prize money across the open and women's world tours."
Adrian Peet, General Manager of AMAALA Yacht Club, welcomed the arrangement. "We're excited to welcome the World Match Racing Tour to Saudi Arabia for the first time this November. Hosting the Finals is an important milestone for AMAALA Yacht Club. Not only does it demonstrate the club's commitment to the sport, but it is also evidence of our ambition to support the growth of sailing in the region and establish the Red Sea as the leading destination for yachting."
Staging both finals together, he added, only sharpens the occasion. "Bringing the Finals together for the first time makes the occasion even more significant. We look forward to welcoming the world's best match racers to AMAALA and showcasing everything this extraordinary destination has to offer."
The venue itself is still taking shape. AMAALA's 119-berth marina, designed to accommodate superyachts over 100 metres with full international port of entry status, is due to open in Autumn 2026, just ahead of the finals.
Its 7,900-square-metre clubhouse, designed by HKS, will house dining venues, private lounges and a pool deck, alongside the AYC Academy's RYA-certified sailing programme. Whether it will all be finished in time for a fleet of match racing's best is the obvious question hanging over the announcement.
There's more to come. The club is set to host The Ocean Race in 2027, adding further weight to the Red Sea's case as a genuine fixture on the global sailing calendar.
