The Real Club Nautico Valencia, Spain (RCNV) will host the one-person events, while Marina Gdynia, Poland will host the two-person events. Both Championships will serve as the first Olympic qualifying event for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles and will also stage Para Inclusive sailing events, furthering World Sailing's commitment to Para Inclusive sailing following the inclusion of Para events in the quadrennial event for the first time in 2023. 

Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, will host the event in the summer of 2026. Known as a year-round training destination, and the RCNV has a long history of hosting major international competitions, including the 32nd and 33rd editions of the America's Cup, World Championships in the 29er, Swan, Snipe, Formula 40 and 420 classes. 

The RCNV, which has been promoting sailing activities since 1903, organises an Olympic Week every year and two of the biggest international sailing events in Spain, the Trofeo de SM La Reina and Optiorange, which brings together 550 small Optimist sailors from 30 different countries. The club aims to become the world's first permanent regatta base for dinghy sailing and to support the growth of the sport in the run-up to LA28. 

The city of Gdynia will host the event in the summer of 2027 as the culmination of its centenary celebrations as 'Poland's window to the world'. Located on the northern coast of Poland, Gdynia is a port city with a rich maritime history and a growing reputation as a sailing destination. 

Together, Gdynia and the PYA have been developing the annual Gdynia Sailing Days International Festival for 25 years, combining sport tourism and business. Every year the festival includes the World and European Championships in Olympic and International classes. Hosting the World Sailing Championships will accelerate Gdynia's growth as the capital of Polish sailing and provide the impetus for a Sailing Academy in the city.

Selected from six formal bids, both cities have fully embraced the principles outlined in World Sailing's Olympic Vision to deliver the World Sailing Championships and will host a test event up to 12 months before the Championships. Gdynia and Valencia will also deliver a full edition of World Sailing's Emerging Nations Programme. 

Quanhai Li, World Sailing President, said, "We are delighted to award the World Sailing Championships to the Valencia and Gdynia. The new format will help to grow the sport and allow sailors to compete in the best possible conditions, while also proving to be more efficient and sustainable. The facilities at both venues are exceptional and we look forward to an incredible World Sailing Championships in two prestigious sailing cities." 

David Graham, CEO of World Sailing, added: "We received a number of bids for these Championships and they were all of a very high quality. I would like to thank the cities, clubs and national federations for their interest and for the considerable work they put in, and it was a difficult decision for the Evaluation Commission." 

"A split championship format reflects the direction of our wider stakeholder group, the benefits of which can already be seen in a much higher level of interest as it reduces the financial and logistical demands on the hosts. The proposals submitted by the cities of Valencia and Gdynia were excellent, they were 'sailors first' with a strong commitment to the quality of the competition, Para sailing and sustainability. 

Marisa Arlandis, President of the Real Club Nautico de Valencia, said, "We are delighted to receive this great news about the selection of the city of Valencia and our club to host this major international event ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games. The World Sailing Championships will further enhance our reputation for hosting amazing sailing events, from the grassroots to elite level.

"We have a radical and far-reaching ambition to support the development of sailing nationally and internationally. Yacht clubs are the sporting centres of the sea and we are doing a great job. Thank you to the committee for choosing us and thank you to World Sailing for having confidence in Valencia and the RCNV," she added. 

Tomasz Chamera, President of the Polish Sailing Federation, said, "This is an event whose impact will be felt on many levels for years to come. We want to show the world the beauty of our sport. The World Sailing Championships will bring media interest from an international audience with the potential to reach millions of TV and online viewers on every continent.

"Sailors, hundreds of journalists and tourists from all over the world will come to Poland to follow the Championships and to admire the beauty of our country on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The World Sailing Championships will be the biggest sporting event in the history of Gdynia and a driving force for the further development of sailing, the city, the region and the country," he stressed. 

Slawomir Nitras, the Polish Minister of Sport and Tourism, said, "I congratulate everyone who took part in the bidding process. Thanks to World Sailing. This sport is developing strongly in our country, Polish sailors are winning medals at international events, including the Olympic Games, and many young people are taking up the sport. The Championships will be a great showcase for Poland, Gdynia and the Polish Yachting Association itself."

Both cities have made sustainability a high priority ahead of the World Sailing Championships, with many initiatives already in place in line with World Sailing's 2030 Sustainability Agenda. These include prioritising gender equality, recycling programmes, water conservation and the use of green energy.

Gdynia will use wind turbines in the Baltic Sea and small turbines on site to promote and establish an Energy of Elements programme in the regatta zones and marina, using eco-farms for catering needs, while partnering with local food banks to transfer surplus food to humanitarian organisations and shelters. An eSailing Zone will also be set up at the Gdynia Sailing Days, allowing visitors to try out virtual sailing. 

Valencia has been chosen as the European Green Capital 2024, highlighting the importance of sustainability and a number of initiatives already in place. It also became the first city in the world to verify and certify the carbon footprint of its tourism activities and RCNV is the first club in Spain to be awarded the Sustainability 'S' label by the National Tourism Board. 

The World Sailing Championships in Valencia are organised for the Generalitat Valenciana, the City Council of Valencia, the Valencian Sailing Federation and the Spanish Sailing Federation. The Gdynia World Sailing Championships are organised by the Polish Sailing Federation in partnership with the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Poland, the Regional Government of the Pomeranian Voivodeship and the City of Gdynia.  

Slate of events

Valencia 2026:

- Men's Kite. 

- Women's Kite. 

- Men's Windsurfing. 

- Women's Windsurfing.   

- Men's Dinghy. 

- Women's Dinghy.

- Para Inclusive events to be confirmed.

Gdynia 2027:

- Men’s Skiff. 

- Women’s Skiff. 

- Mixed Dinghy. 

- Mixed Multihull. 

- Para Inclusive events to be confirmed.