Tudor Team Alinghi

Tudor Team Alinghi is Switzerland's AC75 challenger entry for the 38th America's Cup, carrying the name of the syndicate that won the Cup in 2003 and defended it in 2007. Those victories remain among the most improbable achievements in sport: a landlocked country winning the world's oldest sailing trophy.

For the 38th America's Cup cycle, Alinghi returned as Alinghi Red Bull Racing, with Red Bull providing sponsorship alongside the Tudor watch brand. The team competed in the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona in 2024, but their performance in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger selection series was below expectations. The organizational challenges of re-establishing a competitive America's Cup campaign after a 14-year absence proved significant.

The team's status for AC38 is uncertain. Reports indicate a wind-down in progress, with the possibility of withdrawal from the 38th America's Cup cycle. The Alinghi name may not appear on the start line in Cagliari or Naples. This would reduce the challenger fleet and concentrate the competition among Luna Rossa, GB1, and K-Challenge.

If Alinghi does compete, the Swiss team's heritage gives them credibility that few other potential entrants possess. The 2003 victory in Auckland, when Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth sailed Alinghi to a 5-0 sweep of Team New Zealand, and the 2007 defence in Valencia against Team New Zealand, demonstrated that a well-funded, well-organized Swiss campaign can compete at the highest level.

The intersection of luxury watch sponsorship (Tudor), energy drink branding (Red Bull, in the previous cycle), and Swiss national pride creates a unique commercial and sporting identity. Whether that identity continues into AC38 or pauses for a future cycle remains to be determined.