Sixteen crews from nine countries will converge on Lake Dąbie this weekend for the Szczecin Match Race 2026, the fifteenth stage of the World Match Racing Tour and one of the last chances for sailors to punch their ticket to the season finale.
Racing runs 8-11 October, with official training on the Wednesday beforehand. All crews sail identical RS21 yachts, stripping the contest back to tactics, boat handling and nerve rather than equipment.
Match racing has always had that effect on a fleet: one-on-one, no hiding, no excuses. It is the same format that has decided the America's Cup for decades.
Szczecin has been running this regatta since 2008, and it doubles as the Open Polish Match Racing Championship. Last year's winner, Danish skipper Jeppe Borch, joined a roll of honour that includes Ian Williams, Switzerland's Eric Monnin, France's Maxime Mesnil and Timothée Rossi, Australia's David Chapman, and Estonia's Mati Sepp. Local talent has never been far from the front either, with Patryk Zbroja, Przemysław Tarnacki, Marek Stańczyk, Igor Tarasiuk and Kuba Gołębiowski all regulars on these waters.
This year's fleet carries real weight. Seven of the sixteen skippers sit inside the world top 100, and crews are chasing qualification for the Match Racing World Cup final as well as the Szczecin title, with the final set for 10-14 November in Amaala, Saudi Arabia. For most of this fleet, Szczecin is the last chance to secure a place there.
Frenchman Marin Micoulot arrives as the highest-ranked sailor in the field at 21st in the world, and goes in as the man to beat. Dutchman Lennard Bal, 27th in the world, won't make it easy. Nor will Poland's Patryk Zbroja, the top-ranked local sailor at 30th in the world rankings. Jakub Gołębiowski, winner of the past three editions, defends his Polish Match Racing Champion title.
"The Szczecin Match Race has grown to the rank of a true legend in the 20-year history of the Polish Match Tour," organisers said. "It is a spectacular culmination of the sailing season in Poland, which annually attracts the absolute elite of world match racing to the start. The prestige of this regatta is best reflected in the list of previous winners, from former world ranking leader Ian Williams, through Maxime Mesnil and Staffan Lindberg, to Eric Monnin. The unique flavour of this year's competition is enhanced by the fact that our outstanding national champions: Patryk Zbroja, Marek Stańczyk, and Przemysław Tarnacki, will once again join the fight for the trophy. We are ready for a sailing spectacle of the highest order!"
Finals day falls on the Sunday. Admission is free.
Skipper | Nation | Rank Marin Micoulot | FRA | 21 Lennard Bal | NED | 27 Patryk Zbroja | POL | 30 Lucas Karlemo | FIN | 42 Mati Sepp | EST | 53 Michał Gryglewski | POL | 72 Victor Melchior | DEN | 90 Elin Sevedag | SWE | 105 Jakub Gołębiowski | POL | 126 Aleksander Brorsson | SWE | 187 Marek Stańczyk | POL | 424 Przemysław Tarnacki | POL | 501 George Gillespie | GBR | 504 Karol Górski | POL | nr Michał Krasodomski | POL | nr
