Cagliari is also in the running for the title of Italian Capital of the Sea 2026. The City Council has approved the city's candidacy project, with participation in the first edition of the national call for proposals launched by the Government through the Department of Maritime Policies. The proposal , presented by Mayor Massimo Zedda , is the result of a collective and shared effort: in addition to the various municipal departments, the candidacy dossier includes the participation of the Region, the Port Authority, the University of Cagliari, the Teatro Lirico, the Coastal Conservatory, the Molentargius Park, the Superintendency, the Metropolitan City, and numerous environmental, cultural, and sports associations that joined the Municipality's initiative after the call for proposals was announced in November 2025.

The result, explains the municipal administration, is a shared project aligned with the strategic and operational objectives of the 2026-2028 Single Programming Document (DUP): investment and redevelopment of sports infrastructure and areas dedicated to sports, with a focus on sustainability and maximum accessibility, and the creation of the International Sailing Center ; promotion of actions to support, develop, and disseminate cultural and artistic activities and cultural exchanges, with the strengthening of cultural-tourism events and initiatives to support the promotion of the area; consolidation of the "Cagliari" destination at the national and international level through tourism planning and tourism and territorial promotion actions; strengthening the Community Environmental Pact and Environmental Cooperation to enhance environmental education and raise citizen awareness of greenery and urban hygiene issues through the implementation of environmental policy campaigns and information on the adoption of sustainable and virtuous behaviors.

If successful, Cagliari will be able to count on a state contribution of one million euros, supplemented by municipal resources (200,000 euros) to be allocated only after the title has been awarded. "We believe in the candidacy because it is the result of collaborative efforts with numerous institutions and organizations," says Mayor Zedda, "who responded quickly and with specific, detailed projects to the participation proposal we formulated. The goal is to strengthen the city's most specific vocation, its relationship with the sea, in the knowledge that the projects will be pursued regardless of the final outcome of the competition."