07/23/2026
by James Pacheco
We’re back in Portsmouth almost exactly a year to the day for the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix and it promises to be a good one.
But those looking to wager on the event winner will have to weigh up the consequences of a revised format before putting their money down.
There will be group racing before the Final, as we note that the Championship leaders, the Bonds Flying Roos SailGP Team, are by far the biggest pre-event price they’ve been all season.
The Fleet Will be Split In Two in Portsmouth
First things first, there will be a significant change to the usual format here in Portsmouth this week. In the words of SailGP’s Will Carson in our ‘Five things you need to know…’ piece earlier this week:
“With the fleet now at a record 13 teams and more looking to join, SailGP has experimented with group racing – dividing the teams into two heats that race separately before points combine – as a way of preserving close, high-quality racing. The format made its debut in Auckland and has been trialled at several Grands Prix this season.”
Fans of SailGP may need to get used to the group racing format as it’s the intention of the organizers to have it in place for the remainder of the season, though all future SailGP regatas will still be determined on an event-by-event basis in 2026.
But a two-group format will certainly be in place here, the groups being divided as follows:
- Group A: ESP, AUS, NZL, CAN, ITA, DEN, BRA99
- Group B: SWE, SUI, USA, GER, FRA, GBR
And the change in format has certainly had a big effect on the event winner odds…
Why the Bonds Flying Roos Are Their Biggest Price Of the Season
Here are the odds that the Bonds Flying Roos went off at in the last four events, most recent first: 3.57, 3.33, 3.45 and 3.89.
Yet this time round they’re available at 5.88 to win the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, the biggest price they’ve been all season and one that’s almost 65% bigger than it was ahead of the Canada Sail Grand Prix when they had won three events in a row.
The reason for that considerably bigger price isn’t to do with the fact they were finally beaten last time out, but rather to do with the revised format.
Clearly the odds-compilers feel that the two-group format leads to more unpredictable results than the usual one, so we may well have a somewhat unlikely winner here in Portsmouth.
And it’s a view that is somewhat backed up by what happened in Canada, where two outsiders made the four-boat final.
It was the Explora Journeys Swiss Sail GP Team’s first Final of the season, finishing third in it, while for runners-up, the Artemis SailGP Team, it was just their second Final this season in seven attempts.
The Swiss are 12.5 for a win here in Portsmouth, with the Swedes 9.09.
But Outsiders Are Shorter Than Usual…
The theory that splitting the fleet in two can lead to a surprise winner is also reflected in the odds on the other usual principal contenders.
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team are 7.14 second-favorites and Los Gallos Sail GP Team 8.33, in both cases also the biggest odds they’ve been all season for an event win.
Having dusted off the cobwebs when returning after a long absence in Halifax, the Black Foils SailGP Team are also 8.33, with the bookies showing them the respect they deserve.
Of course, these things work both ways. Whereas the favorites are at longer prices than they would normally be, the outsiders are at shorter odds than usual.
As an example, the odds on the NorthStar SailGP Team are 12.5 while the United States SailGP Team are a third team available at a price of 8.33; in both cases around 50% shorter than their usual price.
What’s the Latest In the Championship Standings?
As we head to Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, we’re now into the second half of the 2026 SailGP Rolex SailGP Championship season, this being the eighth event of 13 on the calendar.
After victory at the Canada Sail Grand Prix just over a month ago, Los Gallos SailGP Team’s 10 event points were enough for them to tie with the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team on 44 points in the Championship standings, though technically it’s the Spanish occupying second spot rather than the Brits.
But they’re both still 18 points off the Bonds Flying Roos SailGP Team at the top. The events at Halifax put an end to the Roos’ barely-believable run of three wins in a row, but the Aussies still finished fourth to secure another seven points and ensure no-one was reducing their lead in the standings by too much.
So it’s a familiar top three at the top of the table – these were the same three that contested last year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council – with the Aussies chalked up at 2.44, Emirates GBR 3.17 and Los Gallos 4.3.
Are We Going To Have a Repeat of Last Year’s Grand Final?
So a repeat of last year’s Grand Final is very much on the cards, but if there’s one team that could gatecrash that Final, it’s the United States SailGP Team.
They have already won an event this season, and though that was the only podium finish they secured, they’ve steadily been picking up points here and there, including another six in Halifax.
The bookies make them 8.58 to win this year’s Championship.
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