Five Portuguese surfers begin 2027 World Tour qualification at Ballito Pro in South Africa

The Ballito Pro, the opening event of the 2026 Challenger Series circuit, begins this Sunday in South Africa, featuring five Portuguese surfers in competition.

Men's Competition

Frederico Morais and Guilherme Ribeiro will represent Portugal in the men's event.

• Frederico Morais will be the first Portuguese surfer to compete, appearing in heat 2 alongside Spain's Sean Gunning, Peru's Alonso Correa, and Brazil's Vitor Ferreira.
• Guilherme Ribeiro received a direct entry into round 2, where he is placed in heat 4 alongside Indonesia's Rio Waida (a member of the men's world elite), Brazil's Michael Rodrigues, and the surfer who finishes second in heat 2 of the opening round—which could be Frederico Morais.

Women's Competition

Portugal will field Maria Salgado, Teresa Bonvalot, and Francisca Veselko in the women's event. Veselko, despite competing on the World Tour, has also joined the national lineup.

• Maria Salgado will be the only Portuguese surfer to enter in the opening round, competing in heat 5 against Costa Rica's Leilani McGonagle, Australia's Isla Huppatz, and Morocco's Lilias Tebbai.
• Francisca Veselko is in round 2, heat 3, where she will compete against Brazil's Laura Raupp and two other surfers advancing from the opening round.
• Teresa Bonvalot is in round 2, heat 7, alongside Basque surfer Nadia Erostarbe (a fellow World Tour competitor of Kika Veselko) and two more surfers emerging from the first round.

Key Context

Kika Veselko's participation in this opening stage of the Challenger Series aims to secure requalification for the 2027 World Tour. The Portuguese surfer currently holds the last spot in the women's world rankings, with only three more events remaining to maintain her elite status through the main circuit.

Event Details

• Waiting period: July 12 to 18
• Prize: 10,000 points to the winners

This season, in addition to the five events making up the Challenger Series (which includes the Ericeira stage), there will also be QS6000 events from the continental qualification circuits. These will count combined toward the qualification ranking for the 2027 World Tour. One of these events will be held in Leça da Palmeira, marking its debut on the international calendar.