Macao, China (29 March 2026) – Denmark’s Jeppe Borch and his Borch Racing crew of Thor Malthe Andersen, Sebastian Wright Olsen and Matias Rossing claimed the 2026 Macao Match Cup today, edging Sweden’s Oscar Engström 3–2 in a thrilling five‑race final.
After a week of light-air challenges on the Macao River, the breeze built to a steady 10–12 knots for the final day, delivering the pace and drama the event had been expecting.
The semi-finals earlier in the day set the stage: Sweden’s Oscar Engström battled past young American Christian Prendergast in a back-and-forth duel that finished 3–2 in Engström’s favour, while Borch powered through Johnie Berntsson with a decisive 3–0 victory.
The final was a rollercoaster. Borch raced to a 2–0 lead, looking poised to close out the title, but Engström mounted a spectacular comeback to level the match 2–2 and force a winner‑takes‑all decider.
The fifth race was intense from the pre‑start; Engström’s attempted hook clipped Borch’s stern and drew an umpire penalty. Borch capitalised, holding the lead through a late gust and crossing the line to seal the championship and the USD 30,000 first prize.
“It was nerve‑wracking,” Borch said. “Winning the first two races, then losing the next two made the decider a real mental test. Huge credit to the boys for keeping the boat fast when it mattered. It’s been an incredible week in Macao.”
Oscar Engström earned a hard‑fought runner‑up spot, repeating his strong form at the 2025 WMRT Final in Shenzhen in January where he also finished runner-up to the nine time match raving world champion Ian Williams from Great Britain.
Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson took third overall after defeating Christian Prendergast 2–1 in the Petit Final.
The World Match Racing Tour now moves on to Long Beach, California, for the Congressional Cup at Long Beach Yacht Club, 29 April-3 May
Day Five, Finals, Macao Match Cup 2026. Macao, China. March 29, 2026.
ABOUT WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body –World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD24million in prize money to sailors which helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com