On Sunday 12 November 2028, a maximum of 40 skippers will leave Les Sables d'Olonne to embark on a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe. Behind the spectacle of the start lies a less visible reality: no sailor will earn a place on the start line by chance.
Between now and then, aspiring competitors will contest the IMOCA Globe Series championship, collecting points, testing their boats, overcoming setbacks and striving to secure one of the coveted places in the Vendée Globe.
For this 11th edition, the organisers have revised the qualification rules to strike a balance between sporting performance and the diversity of projects. The changes reshape the way every Vendée Globe campaign must be built.
The Vendée Globe: the culmination of a four-year cycle
Until now, qualification relied largely on the number of miles sailed. Working closely with the IMOCA Class, SAEM Vendée has redesigned the qualification process to preserve the race's DNA: rewarding skippers who commit to a long-term offshore racing campaign, with the solo round-the-world race representing its ultimate goal.
The IMOCA Globe Series now serves as the backbone of the qualification pathway through to 2028. The objective is clear: to reward experience gained throughout the entire cycle. Every race start, every result and every point scored contributes to a campaign that reaches its climax on the start line in Les Sables d'Olonne.
The championship features eighteen IMOCA calendar events raced in solo, double-handed or fully crewed formats. These include the Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d'Olonne, the Route du Rhum, the Transat Café L'Or, the New York Vendée – Les Sables d'Olonne and, of course, the Vendée Globe itself. At each event, skippers earn points according to both their finishing position and the importance of the race. Victory in a round-the-world race or a major transatlantic event is worth more than success in a shorter race. The points system also reflects whether the event is sailed solo, double-handed or fully crewed, but every race contributes to building a successful Vendée Globe campaign.
One race is no longer enough
To qualify officially, skippers must meet two conditions. The first is to finish among the top 37 in the final IMOCA Globe Series standings. The rankings reward consistency rather than simple participation.
Only each skipper's nine best results from the championship's Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3 events are taken into account. Poor performances or retirements are therefore discarded, ensuring that a technical failure or race incident does not permanently jeopardise an entire qualification campaign.
This calculation method also gives teams greater flexibility. A skipper forced to miss a race because of injury, major refit work on their IMOCA or personal circumstances can still remain in contention thanks to results achieved in other events.
Proving solo offshore racing experience
Finishing among the top 37 alone will not be sufficient. Every skipper must also complete at least one Grade 2 solo race before 2028 aboard the IMOCA they intend to sail in the Vendée Globe.
This requirement can notably be fulfilled by completing the Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d'Olonne, Retour à La Base, the Transat CIC, the New York Vendée – Les Sables d'Olonne or the Route du Rhum. The race must also be completed within twice the winner's elapsed time.
The aim is straightforward: to ensure that every competitor has recent solo offshore racing experience aboard their IMOCA. The Vendée Globe remains, above all, an extreme adventure in which skippers must face the world's oceans alone for almost three months. It was therefore unthinkable for a sailor to become truly familiar with their boat in solo mode only when the race begins.
Up to 40 skippers on the start line
As in 2024, the fleet will be capped at 40 IMOCA yachts. Thirty-seven places will be allocated through the qualification system. The remaining three may be awarded as wild cards.
These invitations, granted at the organisers' discretion, will allow the fleet to be completed up to the maximum of 40 competitors while preserving the diversity of profiles, nationalities and sporting backgrounds represented on the start line.
An adventure that begins long before the start
The Vendée Globe remains the most demanding event in offshore sailing. But the adventure begins long before the dock lines are slipped in Les Sables d'Olonne.
Over the next two years, every race start, every finishing position and every point scored will play a role in shaping the final line-up.
Skippers will need to strike the right balance between performance, risk management and developing their campaign. Qualifying is no longer simply about finishing races. It is about securing the right IMOCA, continuing to develop the boat, attracting sponsors, building the right team, delivering consistent performances and arriving in Les Sables d'Olonne in November 2028 with a reliable project, a seasoned skipper and qualification secured.
Before taking on the world's oceans, every sailor must first earn their place. The road to the 2028 Vendée Globe is already underway.
