Orient Express Team France is a long-rumoured French America’s Cup team and was the last team to enter the 2024 America’s Cup, with their entry finally officially announced in early January 2023.

Team Name: France K-Challenge Racing
Yacht club: Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
Skipper: France Quentin Delapierre (FRA)

The Accor hotel group has officially committed to the French challenge for the 37th America’s Cup naming its Orient Express brand as title partner.

With this sponsor onboard, the French challenge was named Orient Express Team, having previously taken the name K-Challenge when their entry was initially announced.

The Orient Express Team will be sailing under the flag of the Société nautique de Saint-Tropez and the for the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024 will be led by Stephane Kandler and Bruno Dubois.

The French challenge will pick up the option of a latest generation technology package provided by the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, which should allow Orient Express Team to catch up on some of the time lost while other entrants are well down their design process.

France has an on-off history in the America’s Cup with French teams competing in a number of America’s Cup events, the most recent being Groupama Team France in the 2017 America’s Cup.

Officially, though, this group known as K-Challenge last challenged for the America’s Cup for the 32nd edition in Valencia in 2007.