America's Cup: More teams than bases a possibility for 2021 America's Cup

The proposed America's Cup Village around Auckland's Wynyard Quarter. Photo / Animation Research LTD.

Plans for the America's Cup to be hosted on Auckland's waterfront may be unable to accommodate all parties interested in competing in the 2021 regatta.

The Auckland Council and the Government are working through the logistics of hosting the event, with discussion around the infrastructure required in the city's downtown waterfront to do so.

Plans were revealed this month allowing room for eight bases - one for Team New Zealand and seven for challengers - at the proposed $140 million Wynyard Basin site. However, Team New Zealand chief executive Grant Dalton told Newsroom as many as 10 challengers were interested in taking part.

While the 10 were interested, Dalton said he didn't expect all of them to front up.

"We can only create eight bases, including one for ourselves. You could say it's a nice problem to have if there are more teams, but I actually don't know where they'd go," Dalton told Newsroom.

"Seven challengers still pose quite a logistical issue for the city. Not only with the bases and the building of the infrastructure, but with accommodation. If there are around 100 people in each team, plus families – that's 250 in a team. I think if we had seven, that would be just fine.

Team NZ's Grant Dalton. Photo / Photosport

"I don't think we will limit the number of teams who can come. But quite frankly, I don't know where the others would go."

Entries for the regatta open on January 1, closing six months later, and teams must pay a US$1m fee with a further US$1m to be paid by November 30.

Should the event attract more than seven challengers, the latecomers will likely have to find their own bases.