Naples: Europe's Sporting Capital

January 1, 2026. Happy New Year, Naples, European Capital of Sport. Calling Naples the European capital of sport might even be an understatement considering the intense calendar awaiting the city at the center of the global sports scene. The focus will be on the seafront because both the America's Cup, expected in 2027, and the preliminary regattas, scheduled for spring 2026, will have the gulf as the protagonist and the terraces that open onto one of the most beautiful panoramas in the world as a natural stage to enjoy it. And it will be precisely the seafront, that Caracciolo curve that already enchanted international sailing in 2012, to be the protagonist. Grant Dalton, CEO of New Zealand, head of the America's Cup, said it bluntly: 'We came for the people, we were impressed by what happened in the 2012 World Series. A show.' Then tens of thousands crowded Via Caracciolo to get up close with sails and sailors, regattas, and spectacle. Then as now, the Rotonda Diaz will be the protagonist both for the America's Cup and for the events of Naples European Capital of Sport. The Coni and the Municipality promise for 2026 a great sports village on the seafront where you can approach sports disciplines: canoeing, rowing, sailing at sea. Beach volleyball, beach rugby, beach soccer on fields set up on the seafront. Piazza del Plebiscito will not be outdone. The appointment is for Friday, September 11, on the occasion of the Men's European Volleyball Championships. The next men's European Volleyball Championships will take place from September 11 to 27, 2026. Italy will co-organize the event together with Bulgaria, Finland, and Romania. 'Naples will be the European capital of sport and will host, in that year, the opening match of the Men's European Volleyball Championship in one of the most iconic places in the world: Piazza del Plebiscito. An extraordinary result, the fruit of a shared and synergistic vision, confirming the city's central role in major international sporting events,' said the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, when he announced the news. News that hides one of the city's major problems: not having a sports hall capable of hosting a basketball or volleyball event. The 2019 Universiade did a lot in terms of facility renovation, giving the city structures that make it attractive in terms of event organization, but the sports hall is a too big a lack. The Municipality of Naples has published two public notices: the first aimed at seeking sponsors to support initiatives and cultural events promoted within the Naples European Capital of Sport program and the second relating to an expression of interest for associations that want to include their event in the 2026 calendar. The times are bureaucratic, but in parallel much is moving even if it is a race against time. And so here is the Neapolitan sports calendar that always opens with the Campobasso Trophy, the first sailing event reserved for optimists and organized by the Savoia Club, foresees major international events such as the Naples City Half Marathon in February aiming for 10,000 participants. And still appointments like the Tre Golfi, or the Capri-Naples. Not to forget the ORC World Championship in Sorrento. New Entry for the European Capital of Sport is a great equestrian event while the cadet fencing circuit will be confirmed. September is the turning point. 'Bagnoli is the crucial node,' said Grant Dalton a few months ago. 'If everything works in Bagnoli, the rest will be a success. If it doesn't work, it will be a problem.' In September, the first concrete steps are expected for the works that will allow the construction of the docks where to launch and haul boats and those to prepare the area where to build the bases. Everything should be ready by June 2026. The America's Cup, for its part, must communicate dates and program. At the moment the protocol, that is the rules of the America's Cup, has not yet been approved, and, on paper, there are only 2/3 teams that could participate. Dalton still says: 'There is a Cup to win on the water and one off the water. Now we are playing the one off the water.' If everything were to close today, we are at four teams: New Zealand, Luna Rossa, the French of K Challenge, and the English of Athena Racing who are looking for sponsors. Considering that the design phase for an America's Cup team is crucial and requires time, the certainty is that, at the moment, only two teams are ready: Luna Rossa and Team New Zealand and time is almost up.