As the European summer heats up, so does the competition ramp up for the World Surf League (WSL) Europe contingent with the next stop on the Qualifying Series (QS) and Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) this week. All attention now shifts to the iconic Boardmasters festival at Fistral Beach, Cornwall from August 5-9, 2026 for the YETI Pro QS 4,000 and Boardmasters Longboard Pro presented by YETI.
YETI Pro QS 4,000 To Host 96 Men, 54 Women from 18 Countries
With YETI coming onboard as presenting partner, the QS received a well-deserved upgrade to a QS 4,000 competition, recognising the value and role this competition plays on the international surfing calendar. A field of 96 men and 54 women from 18 different countries will compete in the YETI Pro QS 4,000, the second stop of the WSL Europe QS season for 2026/2027.
Local favourite Lukas Skinner (GBR) will have his sights set on a third consecutive title in front of his home crowd, which will be a remarkable feat, but there’s no underestimating the depth of competition. Challenger Series contenders Guilherme Ribeiro (POR), Ido Hagag (WRL), Yago Dominguez (EUK) and Sean Gunning (ESP) have been getting in some important reps in the water at the first Challenger Series events last month.
Last year’s runner-up Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri (EUK) leads the women’s field while the defending winner, her sister Annette Gonzalez Etxabarri (EUK), will be cheering from the sidelines while recovering from an injury. Maria Salgado (POR), Alys Barton (GBR, above) and Ariane Ochoa (EUK) will be raring to go after missing out on the first QS stop in Lacanau due to the clash of Challenger Series events in South Africa and the USA.
Boardmasters Longboard Pro To Crown European Champions
The Boardmasters Longboard Pro presented by YETI will crown the European longboard champions for the season. Multiple European champion and Newquay-based Ben Skinner (GBR) will be contesting for the longboard title in his home town after coming so close with a third place finish in 2025. The 41-year-old surfer-shaper has been on a roll this year where he won the La Union International Pro in January, and backed it up with a runner-up result in Ferrol in June.
Eduoard Delpero (FRA) and Ginger Caimi (ITA, below) are leading the rankings after taking out the win at the GADIS Longboard Pro Ferrol. Caimi is also the defending event winner at Boardmasters, and will surely look to add another title next to her name.
As always, it’s a small but mighty field of competitors, with the likes of Antonio Dantas (POR), Jon Garmendia Gonzalez (ESP), Raony Portilla (FRA), Alice Lemoigne (FRA), Emily Currie (GBR) and Beth Leighfield (GBR) all lining up at this iconic event.
The Boardmasters festival is a five day celebration of music, surf, skate, wellness, food and art on the Cornish coast. For more information, visit boardmasters.com
The YETI Pro QS 4,000 and Boardmasters Longboard Pro 1,000 presented by YETI will take place from August 5-9, 2026 at Fistral Beach, Newquay.
Boardmasters Open 2026 is proudly supported by YETI, with media partners Carve and SurfGirl.
Watch Live
The Boardmasters Open 2026 will be broadcast live from August 7-9 on WorldSurfLeague.com, the free WSL App and WSL YouTube.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
