Six straight wins on Friday have put New Zealand firmly in the title hunt at the 2026 Team Racing World Championship in Stockholm, including victories over both American squads. The USA still leads the standings, but the complexion of this regatta has shifted.
Racing on Riddarfjärden continued through Round Robin 2, with 42 races completed before a wind shift and fading breeze called a halt ahead of the evening dinner. Winds sat between 3-5 m/s, lighter than Thursday but steady enough to keep racing uninterrupted for most of the day. Thirty-five races remain in the round robin, with Race 73 scheduled to resume Saturday morning.
The Kiwis' run included the first defeat either American team had suffered in the championship. USA 1 skipper Alex Curtiss couldn't fully account for it. "It was our first loss. I can't really explain what happened. The races are so close and so fast," he said.
Race 58 between USA 2 and New Zealand was the defining moment. These races normally clock in at eight to nine minutes. This one ran past 14, both teams grinding through tactical battle after tactical battle while a subsequent race unfolded in the same water around them. New Zealand won on the finish line, becoming the first team to defeat an American side at this championship.
New Zealand finished second at last year's Worlds, held in the US, and arrived in Stockholm having trained in Denmark to learn the J/80s. Skipper Jordan Stevenson was comfortable in the lighter Friday conditions. "I prefer lighter winds. You have a little more time to think about what you're going to do." He also offered a passing nod to the host nation: "We learned a lot about the J/80s. Watch out for Denmark!"
Curtiss, meanwhile, had broader thoughts on where the sport is heading. "The level is extremely high. When team racing started moving towards two versus two, instead of the three versus three that was more common before, team racing became much more of a global sport, with many strong teams from different nations." USA 1 are racing together at a World Championship for the first time, though most of the sailors have long histories racing alongside each other.
Elsewhere, Australia, the youngest team in the championship at an average age of 21, claimed their first win in Race 64 against Japan. It was, by their own account, a long time coming. Skipper James Jackson credited rapid improvement over the previous 24 hours. "It was really exciting to get into the groove of it. We felt like we'd made some really big improvements over the last 24 hours."
The young Australians have been candid about early errors, including missed course boundaries, but Jackson's focus is firmly forward. "We just want to keep improving and keep the team morale high. They're really long days on the water, so we're trying to keep the energy levels up and, most importantly, keep enjoying it."
Japan secured their own first win later in the day. The Japanese Ambassador had arrived at the venue by then, which, on a day of small milestones, felt like reasonable timing.
Thirty-five races still to run. The Americans lead, but New Zealand have shown they can beat them, and the fleet knows it.
