Bermuda’s bid to host the next America’s Cup has been dented after a number of teams taking part in the top sailing event expressed doubts about the venue, according to reports.

The UK’s Independent newspaper reports that some of the six challenging teams have threatened to pull out of the 2017 race if Bermuda does get selected.

The good news for event organisers here is that Bermuda’s only rival venue — San Diego — is also unpopular with top sailors.

The newspaper states all six challenging teams met with representatives of the current cup holders — the San Francisco-based Oracle team — in Los Angeles at the weekend.

“The six, from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy and Sweden took the opportunity to say that they disapproved of the move to drop San Francisco as the venue, expressed varying degrees of dislike for the two remaining venue choices, San Diego and Bermuda,” reporter Stuart Alexander wrote.

“In some of the more frank exchanges, the Oracle representatives, designer Ian Burns and lawyer Sam Hollis, were told that the choice of Bermuda could persuade some of them to pull out.

“San Diego received a general thumbs down and even some American followers of the Cup have been scathing about the inner harbour at San Diego, host offshore of the Cup in 1988, 1992 and 1995, but at least it is not only in the US, it is in California. Some Americans would be upset if an American defender moved the event to another country.”

According to the article, British team boss Sir Ben Ainslie also expressed a preference for San Francisco as the venue. The Golden Gate city hosted the last America’s Cup event.

Teams have until August 8 to enter the race, although the final venue will not be announced before October.

News that Bermuda was one of at least five possible venues in the running to host the competition — the pinnacle of match race sailing — was revealed by The Royal Gazette in May.

A team headed by Economic Development Minister Grant Gibbons submitted a bid to hold the event after being approached by organising body, the America’s Cup Event Authority earlier this year.

And last week it was announced the shortlist had been whittled down to just two contenders — Bermuda and San Diego. Event organisers described the Island’s bid as “compelling”.