Great Britain v New Zealand: America’s Cup 2024 races one and two – live

A message from the main man:

A slight adjustment to my earlier post: the first race will commence at 1.15pm BST, which is 2.15pm local time (CET) in Barcelona.

The stage (sea) is set.

It’s only the 37th edition of the America’s Cup, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a sporting trophy with a greater, richer history. The first ever competition in 1851 was won by the only American ship in the field, hence its swift name change.

Some of these pictures are superb.

Other than a little bit of rain in the air, conditions are looking good for sailing.

Ben Ainslie: It’s a really proud moment for us. We’ve been going for 10 years to get ourselves into this final, so what an opportunity this is. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got.

Why?. It speaks for itself doesn’t it? Britain is a very proud sporting nation, and has a very proud maritime history, and this Cup is the one thing that’s missing. That’s why. The fact that Britain has never won the America’s Cup is what drives us.

Andy Bull reports from Barcelona.

This part of Yara’s explainer is particularly helpful to newcomers to the America’s Cup:

How does it work?

Teams must first compete in a series of regattas, culminating in the Louis Vuitton Cup, which determines the main event’s challenger. This year’s matchup will see Team New Zealand as the defender take on Ineos Britannia after the Britons won the right to challenge New Zealand by beating Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli comfortably in the decisive race. The current format features a best of 13 series; the first to win seven races takes home the Cup. This year’s edition begins with the first two races on 12 October. After that, the third and fourth races are set for 13 October. Subsequent races will occur on 16 October for the fifth and sixth races and on 18 October for the seventh. If necessary, the eighth race will be held on 18 October, the ninth and 10th on 19 October, the 11th and 12th on 20 October. The final race, if required, will take place on 21 October.

Here we go: it’s the oldest trophy in sport, it’s a potential 13 races on the seas of Barcelona and it’s a British team masterminded by Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Jim Ratcliffe going up against the ‘All Blacks of the Sea’, defenders New Zealand. Can Ineos Britannia rule the waves against Team New Zealand, led Peter Burling, a two-time Cup winner and Olympic gold medallist?

The first race gets under way at 1pm BST and the second will also take place in Port Vell, off the Barceloneta beachfront, this afternoon. We’ve got 173 years of sporting history on the line in the coming days, with Great Britain looking to land their first ever America’s Cup, competing in their first ‘final’ for 60 years.

And if you’re new to sailing and the competition, we’ve got the best place for you to start: