The United States will be facing Italy in the semi-finals for the America's Cup Challenger Series, which begins this weekend.

The four teams will compete to be the first to take on New Zealand in the "Auld Mug", the oldest trophy of international sport dating back to 1851.

The Louis Vuitton Cup Final will be played by the first team that wins five games in each semi-final. The winner will face the Kiwis at October's America Cup Match.

After winning a round-robin series and beating Italy in the sail-off to win top spot, Ben Ainslie’s British team was given their choice of semi-final opponent.

Ainslie, speaking at a press event for the remaining four skippers, said: "You've got to make a final decision and then get going and win some races."

France has already been eliminated from the race between giant mono-hull AC75 foiling boats. They are raised above the water by high-tech hydrofoils, and can reach speeds of up to 50 knots.

"I'm quite happy to be racing against INEOS Britannia. "They showed great performance in round-robin and I think we should learn from the best if we are to win this event," said Swiss skipper Arnaud PSAROFAGIS.

The U.S. will not have a joint-helm Paul Goodison in their semi-final. Goodison posted on social media last week that he broke five ribs when he fell into an open hatch after racing while lifting the mainsail.

Goodison stated that the extent of his injury would not be fully known until he had further imaging and examinations at the hospital. He added that he worked with the medical staff to determine when a return to racing was possible.

Goodison usually shares the U.S. boat's helm with Tom Slingsby.

Slingsby added that Lucas Calabrese was "doing an amazing job" in the role. (Reporting and editing by Toby Davis, Christian Radnedge and Alexander Smith)

(source: Reuters)