Denmark's Jeppe Borch, crewing with Thor Malthe Andersen, Sebastian Wright Olsen and Matias Rossing, claimed the 2026 Macao Match Cup with a tense 3–2 victory over Sweden's Oscar Engström in a five-race final that refused to be settled until the closing moments.
Light winds had plagued much of the week on the Macao River, but conditions improved considerably for the final day, a steady 10–12 knots providing the pace the event had been waiting for.
The two semi-finals, held earlier that day, produced contrasting contests. Engström worked past young American Christian Prendergast in a back-and-forth duel, eventually winning 3–2, while Borch was considerably more clinical, dismissing Johnie Berntsson 3–0 to advance with ease.
The final swung sharply before a winner could be found. Borch built what appeared to be a commanding 2–0 lead, only for Engström to respond with two consecutive victories and level the match at 2–2, forcing a winner-takes-all decider.
That fifth race was effectively shaped in the pre-start. Engström's attempted hook made contact with Borch's stern and drew an umpire penalty. Borch used the advantage well, holding his lead through a late gust and crossing the line first to secure the championship and the USD 30,000 first prize.
"It was nerve-wracking," Borch said. "Winning the first two races, then losing the next two made the decider a real mental test. Huge credit to the boys for keeping the boat fast when it mattered. It's been an incredible week in Macao."
Engström's runner-up finish extended a run of strong results at the top level. At the 2025 WMRT Final in Shenzhen in January he had also finished runner-up, on that occasion behind nine-time match racing world champion Ian Williams from Great Britain.
Sweden's Johnie Berntsson secured third place overall after defeating Christian Prendergast 2–1 in the Petit Final.
The World Match Racing Tour heads next to Long Beach, California, where the Congressional Cup will be staged at Long Beach Yacht Club from 29 April to 3 May.
| Place | Country | Skipper | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEN | Jeppe Borch | Thor Malthe Andersen, Sebastian Wright Olsen, Matias Rossing |
| 2 | SWE | Oscar Engström | Filip Karlsson, Rasmus Alnebeck, Emil Wolfgang |
| 3 | SWE | Johnie Berntsson | Johan Bäckström, Wilhelm Eriksson, Olof Lundgren |
| 4 | USA | Christian Prendergast | Sam Gilmour, Graeme Spence, Connor Mashlan |
| 5 | FRA | Aurélien Pierroz | Clément Michel, Sébastien Riot, Aurelien Barthelemy, Kenza Coutard |
| 6 | NZL | Nick Egnot-Johnson | Sam Barnett, Zak Merton, Chris Main |
| 7 | FRA | Ian Garreta | Fleury Damien, Bertheau Simon, Girodeau Vicenç, Amandine Le Van Jacob |
| 8 | AUS | Cole Tapper | Jack Frewin, Hamish Vass, Max Brennan |
| 9 | AUS | Tom Picot | Frank Lavenant, Yann Rigal, Louis Taylor |
| 10 | AUS | Zac West | Dan Little, India Gilbert, James Hayhoe, Lauren Tandy |
| 11 | AUS | Marcello Torre | Vassilis Katsaitis, Xavier Bates, Adam Brenz-Verca |
| 12 | IRL | Ruairi Finnegan | Tadgh Donnelly, Matthew Cotter, Ryan Fitzgerald |
