The match is on! The top three sailors on the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) head up three groups for the qualifying 'round robin' competition in the Argo Group Gold Cup which starts today in Hamilton Harbour.

Group one top seed is number one ranked Mathieu Richard from France in the French Match Racing Team. In the second slot on the Tour, Adam Minoprio of New Zealand in the Black Match Racing leads Group Two and third ranked Australian Torvar Mirsky and his Mirsky Racing Team top off Group Three.

The three skippers won't meet until the quarter-finals – providing they can get past the tough field entered for this year's classic.

The next three teams in the WMRT rankings are placed in the groups climbing back up the order.

Ian Williams of Great Britain in Team GAC Pindar, sponsored by Argo Group, is ranked fourth and slots into Group Three, fifth ranked Ben Ainslie, also from Great Britain, is in Team Origin in Group Two and eighth ranked Dane Jesper Radich goes goes into Group One with Richard.

The rest of the selections for each group were decided by the Gold Cup Organising Committee, led by Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Commodore Peter Shrubb, and Craig Mitchell, the Director of the World Match Racing Tour.

"After we placed the tour leaders by rank, we divided the rest of the competitors based on their ISAF rankings and performance in recent match racing regattas," said Commodore Shrubb.

"Craig Mitchell and I had long discussions over this and the groups as we have structured them are as balanced as possible. We have 22 teams instead of the usual 24. It makes two of the groups have a 'bye' but we'll work around that."

The sailors in each group will match up against each other in the qualifying rounds from today to Thursday, sailing a scheduled round-robin format.

After each team in the group has sailed each other team once, the top two teams move directly into the quarter-finals. The third and fourth place teams in each group enter the repechage, another six boat round-robin with the top two going on into the quarter-finals.

Group 1: Richard (France), Radich (denmark), Hansen (Sweden), Robertson (NZ), Canfield (ISV), MacGregor (GB) Buckley (US), McMaughlin (Can)

Group 2: Minoprio (NZ), Ainslie (GB), lelh (Fra), Monnin (Sui), Corbett (NZ), Pawluk Pol), Fraser (Bda)

Group 3: Mirsky (Aus), Williams (GB), Berntsson (Swe), Marinho (Por), Perry (US), Tunnicliffe (US) Walker (Bda)