America's Cup: Dutch entry accepted for 36th America's Cup

Team New Zealand will try to defend the America's Cup in Auckland in 2021. Photo / Photosport

Auckland will play host to a sixth America's Cup challenger in 2021, with a Dutch entry given the green light to compete for the Auld Mug.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron confirmed the challenge from the Royal Netherlands Yacht Club Muiden and Royal Maas Yacht Club has been accepted, adding a seventh team to the regatta.

"This is really positive news for the Auckland event in 2021," Emirates Team New Zealand said.

With the addition of the Dutch challenge, the regatta will host the most teams since that of the 36th America's Cup in 2007.

"The reality is, the more teams that race in the Prada Cup Challenger Selection Series, the greater the spectacle on the water and the better the economic return off the water for Auckland and New Zealand. This has always been the overarching objective of Emirates Team New Zealand since we won the America's Cup in 2017.

"We will be reaching out to Prada and the Challenger of Record to discuss further planning for the events in light of this exciting news. We are hoping and expect them to embrace this latest entry in line with the underlying philosophy of the America's Cup being a friendly competition between foreign countries."

The entry adds to what is shaping up as a formidable host of challengers to Team NZ's America's Cup crown. Ben Ainslie will again try to bring the Auld Mug to Britain when he leads Ineos Team UK to Auckland, alongside American challenges from the New York Yacht Club's American Magic and the Long Island Yacht Club's Stars and Stripes Team USA, challenger of record Luna Rossa and Malta Altus - the first ever cup challenge from Malta.

With teams' first AC75 vessels able to be launched early next year, crews will be working hard to decoder the radical new boats, with 75-foot foiling monohulls introduces for the 2021 regatta.