Time to announce the European teams racing for the ticket to the 2nd Football World Cup in Sailing in Rio, Brazil. 4 groups, 4 days of racing, and full of emotions. The battle in Rio heats up as sixteen European nations prepare to go head-to-head in the quest for sailing dominance.
The tickets to Rio in the Asian qualifiers were secured by the Philippines (Group A) and Oman (Group B). Group C teams, representing Africa and Oceania we announced here.
Qualification will be held at the SSL Training Center on Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The D and E groups will compete from 8–10 June, and the F and G groups from 13–16 July.
Group D: Austria, Slovenia, Estonia
On the starting line, we will be watching teams from SSL Team Austria, SSL Team Slovenia, and SSL Team Estonia. SSL Team Austria and Estonia finished the last SSL Gold Cup during the 1/16 round, and Slovenia during the 1/8. From this group, the best position in the nation’s ranking for now is Thomas Zajac's team, Austria, in 21st position.
SSL Team Austria - The Austrian Eagles
SSL Team Slovenia - Krpani 1860
SSL Team Estonia - The Ice Breakers
Group E: Norway, Belgium, Lithuania, Serbia
4 teams and a lot of surprises. For the ticket to the 2nd Football World Cup in Sailing in Rio, the fight will be between SSL Team Norway, SSL Team Belgium, SSL Team Lithuania, and SSL Team Serbia. Three years ago, all eyes were on Team Lithuania, which put on an amazing performance at the SSL Gold Cup. They pushed the limit from the first day of racing. Finally, the team, under the leadership of Rokas Milevičius, advanced to 1/4 of the Gran Canaria SSL Gold Cup.
The course of the regatta by the SSL Team Lithuania was incredible. The crew was unstoppable, winning many races across the 1/32, 1/16, and 1/8 divisions of the SSL Gold Cup.
For the SSL Team Belgium and Serbia, this will be the next chance to qualify for the SSL Gold Cup. The bar is set high, but both teams are pushing their limits and were trained at the SSL Training Center last summer. SSL Team Norway knows the taste of the SSL Gold Cup, having reached the 1/8 Finals and currently holding 23rd place in the national rankings, the best position in this group.
SSL Team Lithuania - Ambers
SSL Team Belgium - Sea Devils
SSL Team Norway - Norsteam
SSL Team Serbia - The Eagles
Group F: Croatia, Finland, Ukraine
Group three is made up of SSL Team Croatia, SSL Team Finland, and SSL Team Ukraine. Ukraine started the SSL Gold Cup in the 1/32 rounds, which was also their last round. Croatia and Finland were racing in different groups, starting and finishing in 1/16. The battle is shaping up to be exciting. All the teams are showing similar skill levels. The top-ranked team is SSL Team Croatia, currently ranked 24th, featuring Rio 2016 Olympic Games 470 class gold medalists Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić, and Tonči Stipanovic, silver medalist from Rio in Laser Class.
SSL Team Croatia - The Terns
SSL Team Finland - Northern Magic
SSL Team Ukraine - United
Group G: Portugal, Greece, Türkiye, Bulgaria
The line-up for Group G is SSL Team Portugal, SSL Team Greece, SSL Team Turkey, and SSL Team Bulgaria. SSL Team Portugal is led by Joao Rodrigues and skippered by Afonso Domingos, one of the best SSL sailors. Portugal gave an outstanding performance and definitely spent the longest time in Gran Canaria, progressing from the start of the finals (1/32) all the way to the quarterfinals. Portugal is currently holding 22nd place in the national rankings, the best position in this group.
As Greece and Türkiye didn’t compete in the finals, they want to do their best. SSL Team Greece is looking forward to good racing, as they have already started training hard at the SSL training base, on the same venue where the qualification will be held. The Greek team is full of very experienced sailors, so the battle looks very promising.
In Group G, we will also see SSL Team Bulgaria, which reached the SSL Gold Cup finals but finished in the first round.
SSL Team Portugal - The Navigator
SSL Team Greece - Odysseus
SSL Team Türkiye - Young Turks
SSL Team Bulgaria - The Lions
Reminder: Dates & Locations
The qualification series is divided into five stages.
The first qualification event, the Asian Qualifier, took place in Pattaya, Thailand, at the end of December. The golden tickets were secured by the Philippines and Oman. From 2–4 June 2026, teams from Africa and Oceania will compete at the SSL Training Center in Switzerland. After a short break, the European qualification phase will begin. The first group of European teams will compete from 8–10 June. The second European qualification phase will be held from 13–16 July, also on Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland. The Pan American qualifiers are scheduled to take place in Brazil, just before the start of the SSL Gold Cup.