The prestigious Congressional Cup regatta — dubbed the granddaddy of modern match racing — will return to Long Beach’s coastline for five days of action starting this week.

This year’s 59th annual Congressional Cup, hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club, will continue a busy event season in the city — taking place just after the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Ficker Cup, the latter of which is a qualifier for this week’s regatta.

The Congressional Cup will run from Wednesday to April 28 — and will kick off the championship level 2024 World Match Racing Tour, the longest-running professional series in sailing.

The Long Beach Yacht Club founded the Congressional Cup in 1965. It’s the longest-running event of it’s kind in North America, according to LBYC’s website, and helped set the standard for world-class match racing across the globe.

Top-ranked skippers from across the world come to Long Beach to compete for the prestigious Congressional Cup trophy and the crimson blazer, a coveted jacket often compared to the green jacket golfers receive for winning the Masters Tournament.

The demand to compete in the Congressional Cup is so high, in fact, that the LBYC has expanded the roster of teams competing in this year’s event.

“We are delighted to have been able to increase the number of teams for this year’s Congressional Cup,” 2024 Congressional Cup Chairman Tony Mansour said in a recent news release. “Sailing, and specifically match racing, has enjoyed tremendous growth post-COVID and we have a unique opportunity to expand our line-up for 2024.”

A total of 12 teams will compete in the Congressional Cup this year, including:

• Riptide Racing’s Chris Poole (USA), defending champion.

• Ian Williams (GBR), a five-time Congressional Cup winner, with Team Gladstone’s Long Beach.

• Johnie Berntsson (Swe), Berntsson Sailing Time, 2009 winner.

• Capvis Swiss Match Racing’s Eric Monnin (Sui).

• Borch Racing’s Jeppe Borch (Den).

• Knots Racing’s Nick Egnot-Johnson (Nzl).

• RBYS’ Rocco Attili (Ita).

• DH3 Racing’s Dave Hood (USA).

Gavin Brady (USA), with True Blue Racing, will also make his return to the Congressional Cup after a 12-year hiatus.

Brady, a four-time Congressional Cup champion, narrowly missed out on qualifying for last year’s event, according to LBYC’s news release.

“It will be a very special week for me being back at the Long Beach Yacht Club and racing in the Congressional Cup,” Brady said in the news release. “My match racing started in 1996 at the Ficker Cup and Congressional Cup — I won my first Congressional Cup before one of my crew was even born.”

Three additional competitors will also join the Congressional Cup roster. Those competitors will be the top-three finishers from the Ficker Cup, which ends today.

Registration and practice for the Congressional Cup will take place on Tuesday — and matches will begin on Wednesday and run through April 28.

The competition will take place just off the Belmont Veteran’s Memorial Pier, 35 39th Place, where spectators will be able to watch the races for free.

The 59th annual Congressional Cup will also be livestreamed starting on Friday at thecongressionalcup.com.