Long Beach, CA (22 April 2026) – Swedish match racing skipper Theo Westerlind has been added to the line-up for the 2026 Long Beach Yacht Club Ficker Cup later this week, accepting his invitation in place of Lennard Bal of the Netherlands, who is unable to attend the event.
This will mark Westerlind’s first appearance at the Ficker Cup. He has match raced with considerable success in both youth and open match racing events in Sweden and internationally, facing many of the world’s top teams. He is currently ranked #88 in the World Sailing Match Racing Rankings. Joining Westerlind as crew for the Ficker Cup is Sam Rosenbaum, John McCarthy, Henry Day, Garrett Grenauer, Edward Kliem, and 2009 Congressional Cup winner and match racing veteran Johnie Berntsson.
Ficker Cup is a Grade 2 match racing event and official World Tour level stage of the 2026 World Match Racing Tour, sailed on LBYC’s iconic fleet of identical Catalina 37s. Racing runs April 24 – 26, 2026.The event is named after Bill Ficker, who won the 1970 America’s Cup as skipper of Intrepid, and the 1974 Congressional Cup.
“We are delighted to have Theo Westerlind and his crew step in at short notice to complete our world-class Ficker Cup line-up for later this week” commented Ficker Cup Chair Tom Camp. “There will be some spectacular match racing here in Long Beach with live commentary and free viewing from the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier which everyone is welcome to join.”
The Ficker Cup serves as the final qualifier for the Congressional Cup, with the top two finishers earning invitations to compete in the 2026 Congressional Cup, held April 29 – May 3. The Congressional Cup is a founding event of the World Match Racing Tour and recognized as the “granddaddy” of modern world-class match racing: the premier and longest running event of its kind in North America.
For more information on the Ficker Cup visit www.thecongressionalcup.com and www.wmrt.com.
2026 Ficker Cup Skippers:
- Oscar Engstrőm, Team LIROS, Sweden (World ranking #8)
- Nicole Breault, Vela Racing, United States (World ranking #19)
- Tom Picot, Match 2.0, Australia (World ranking #23)
- Ruairi Finnegan, Craic’n Racing, Ireland (World ranking #28)
- Patryk Zbroja, YKP Team, Poland (World ranking #30)
- Theo Westerlind, The Cougars, Sweden (World ranking #88).
- Christopher Weis, Dark Horse Match Racing, United States (World ranking #109)
- Scotty Dickson, Dickson Racing, United States (World ranking #214)
World Sailing rankings as of 1 April 2026
CONTACT
LBYC Race Office
Cameron MacLaren: raceoffice@lbyc.org
Instagram: @lbycconcup
Facebook: @congressionalcup
World Match Racing Tour:
Contact: media@wmrt.com
Instagram: @worldmatchracingtour
Linked In: World Match Racing Tour
Facebook: @worldmatchracingtour
SPONSORS 2026
ABOUT LONG BEACH YACHT CLUB
Established in 1929, Long Beach Yacht Club is recognized as a leading organization in the international yachting community for its commitment to excellence in yacht racing and innovation in race management. In addition to hosting the Ficker Cup and Congressional Cup and numerous other local, national and international yachting events, the Club’s member families enjoy a year-round calendar of social, yachting and junior activities at its beautiful clubhouse on the shore of Alamitos Bay. www.lbyc.org
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