America’s Cup 2021: Schedule confirmed for the Cup match between Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa

The America’s Cup match will kick off on Wednesday, with Auckland set to break out of Covid-19 alert level 3.

The match was scheduled to start this weekend, however with Auckland rising to level 3 last Sunday, a decision was made to postpone it until Wednesday in hopes of navigating below a lower level.

This afternoon, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed that Auckland would return to Level 2 at 6am on Sunday morning, allowing the races to start as planned on Wednesday.

There are two races scheduled for Wednesday, Friday and over the weekend through Monday at least, with Sunday being the earliest date for a team to secure the seven victories necessary for victory. Thursday is the only scheduled rest day, and if a winner is not found by Monday, racing will continue each day until one team reaches the seven-win mark.

Any change in the schedule must be agreed between both teams.

The cabinet will not meet to review a possible move from Auckland to level 1 until next weekend, so the same limitations will apply for the start of the Cup match as for the second half of the Prada Cup final. , with attractions in the town of the Cup as entertainment and watching the races on giant closed screens, and with official fans at key strategic points that are not fully activated.

Bars, cafes, restaurants and other outlets within the Copa América village will be open, operating within the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.

Stadium fields B and C were not considered to discourage fans from gathering in large numbers at North Head to watch the action. Only courses A and E will be available under alert level 2.

With the starting line in sight, the next few days will be vital for both the New Zealand team and Luna Rossa as they prepare for the match. With the tsunami warnings in Auckland today, many thought the crews would lose a day in the water.

However, with those warnings being lifted late in the afternoon, the New Zealand team reportedly set out to practice in the water at the end of the day.