Balanger Defends Moth World Title in Perth
French sailor Enzo Balanger heads to Perth's Swan River to defend his Moth World Championship title starting November 6.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Motorsports
Enzo Balanger, the first French sailor to win the Moth World Championship, will compete to defend his title at the 2026 event hosted by Mounts Bay Sailing Club on the Swan River in Perth, Australia, beginning November 6. He arrives after winning the 2026 Moth European Championship in L'Escala, Spain, eight of eleven races.
Why it matters
The championship brings together the sport's top single-handed foiling sailors, and Balanger's defense tests whether his 2025 dominance carries over to a smaller fleet. Forecast strong winds are expected to add difficulty to the regatta.
Balanger won eight of eleven races at the 2026 European Championship and five of ten at the 2025 World Championship, where he finished 12 points ahead of Tom Slingsby. The 2026 fleet is smaller than the 137 boats from 25 nations that competed last year, and final entry numbers have not been reported.
The players
Enzo Balanger
A 26-year-old French sailor born in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, who is the first French sailor to win the Moth World Championship.
Tom Slingsby
An Australian Olympic sailor who finished second to Balanger in the 2025 Moth World Championship.
Mounts Bay Sailing Club
The Perth yacht club hosting the 2026 Moth World Championship on the Swan River.
The details
The Moth is a single-handed foiling dinghy that lifts clear of the water and reaches speeds approaching 35 knots. Balanger, 26, graduated from the K-Challenge Akademy and competed at the 2024 Youth America's Cup in Barcelona before winning the 2025 world title on Lake Garda, Italy.
Timeline
November 6, 2026: Moth World Championship begins in Perth, Australia.
June 2026: Balanger wins the Moth European Championship in L'Escala, Spain.
May 2026: Balanger makes his SailGP F50 Grand Prix debut in New York.
July 13, 2025: Balanger wins the Moth World Championship on Lake Garda, Italy.
Season Trajectory
Balanger's defense follows his 2025 Lake Garda championship, the first world title by a French sailor in the Moth class. Whether he repeats in Perth will shape his standing against Australian rivals like Tom Slingsby as the foiling dinghy class moves toward larger international fleets.
Fans following the regatta can track Balanger's races as the November 6 start approaches, with the smaller fleet and forecast strong winds likely to shape daily standings. Anyone planning to watch in Perth should check the championship schedule once final race dates are confirmed.
The takeaway
Balanger's result will show whether a single-handed foiling champion can hold his form across a new venue and a smaller field. Watching how he handles Perth's conditions offers a useful measure of consistency in an elite sport.
What happens next
The 2026 Moth World Championship begins November 6, 2026, at the Swan River in Perth, Australia.
Further reading
Explore more Motorsports coverage for context on high-speed single-handed racing.
