Black Foils confirm sale of majority stake in the SailGP team
by Black Foils 20 Jun 01:19 NZST
Black Foils SailGP Team - Practice session - Canada Sail Grand Prix - Halifax, Canada - June 18, 2026 © Jason Ludlow - SailGP
New Zealand’s Black Foils open a new chapter in the team’s history today with confirmation of MSP Sports Capital taking a majority stake in the team.
The acquisition of the Black Foils – led by Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke – marks MSP's entry into SailGP, adding the New Zealand SailGP Team to a global sports portfolio that includes or has included the X Games League, McLaren Racing and Everton FC.
Headquartered in Madison Avenue, New York, MSP was founded by veteran investor-operators Jeff Moorad and Jahm Najafi, whose expertise spans the world's largest sports leagues, including MLB, NBA, NFL, F1 and European football.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke will remain as Co-CEOs of the Black Foils, continuing to lead one of SailGP’s most successful teams on and off the water.
Celebrating the news, Peter Burling said, "Today’s an incredibly important milestone for the Black Foils – and the start of an exciting new chapter for us in SailGP as we represent New Zealand on the world stage. MSP are world-class partners, with an understanding of elite sport and what it takes to build something that lasts. We have a very loyal group of supporters and it’s exciting to be able to bring MSP into the Black Foils family.”
Tuke said “From the very beginning Pete and I set out to make the Black Foils a world-class team and sporting brand in all areas and we are thrilled to partner with MSP and work towards that goal and continue to grow the team. We wouldn’t be at this point without the support and effort of a big group of people and we also want to acknowledge them today.”
Jahm Najafi, Chairman, MSP Sports Capital said, “SailGP is one of the fastest-growing sports leagues in the world, and we are thrilled to partner with Russell Coutts and the SailGP organization. We believe the New Zealand team is one of its flagship franchises.”
Jeff Moorad, CEO, MSP Sports Capital said, “Our vision is straight-forward: win championships, represent New Zealand at the highest level, and build on the country's unmatched sailing culture. Peter and Blair are the best in the world at what they do – and we’re delighted to partner with them in this next chapter.”
MSP’s majority stake in the team means all of SailGP’s 13 teams are now owned by strategic third-party partners. SailGP was established by Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts using a centrally-owned business model with the goal of transitioning to private team ownership.
The news follows recent high-profile acquisitions in the 2026 Season, including Quantum Pacific’s purchase of the Spain SailGP Team, the sale of the Danish-flagged Rockwool Racing to Orlando Magic owner Doug DeVos, and the Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds backed ownership group behind the Bonds Flying Roos (Australia) last year.
SailGP Co-Founder and CEO Sir Russell Coutts said, “This is a very significant milestone for SailGP – and one we set out to reach from the very beginning. The goal of SailGP has always been to build something that world-class investors and sports operators would want to own – to have MSP Sports Capital, led by Jahm Najafi and Jeff Moorad, join our ownership group is further validation of that vision.”
The Black Foils return to the startline at this weekend’s Canada Sail Grand Prix | Halifax (June 20-21).