2026 IBC WORLD TOUR SEASON RECAP

• Tristan Roberts claims his third world title at El Frontón King (Gáldar), joining the ranks of bodyboarding’s all-time greats.

• Japan’s Namika Yamashita puts together a flawless campaign by winning every single Women’s Prime Series event,while Damiano Bonazzi secures Italy’s first-ever world title.

• The Gran Canaria Frontón King makes history once again, surpassing 300,000 live stream views.

The International Bodyboarding Committee (IBC) puts the finishing touches on an unforgettable 2026 season. After hitting some of the heaviest and best waves across five continents over 13 events—broken down by format and division into 7 Prime Series stops (carrying maximum points and prize money) and 9 Rising Series stops—the world tour has crowned its new champions in a year defined by sky-high competitive levels, new wave debuts, and massive global viewership.

2026 IBC World Tour World Champions

• Men Division: Tristan Roberts (South Africa)

• Women Division: Namika Yamashita (Japan)

• Junior Men Division: Damiano Bonazzi (Italy)

• Junior Women Division: Luana Dourado (Portugal)

• DropKnee: Jericco Rossero (Ecuador)

• Master Women: Soraia Rocha (Brazil)

Historic Season Milestones

• Tristan Roberts Enters Bodyboarding’s Pantheon: With his coronation in Gáldar, the South African adds a third world title to his resume (2019, 2022, and 2026)—all three clinched at the legendary El Frontón slab—joining an elite club of three-time champions alongside icons Jeff Hubbard, Ben Player, Guilherme Tâmega, and Mike Stewart.

• Total Dominance by Namika Yamashita: The Japanese standout claimed the Women’s World Title after an untouchable season, taking top honors at every single Prime Series event held in her division.

• Italy’s First-Ever World Title: Damiano Bonazzi wrote a golden chapter in Italian sporting history by capturing the Junior Men World Championship.

• All-Time Podium Record for Pierre-Louis Costes (PLC): The French competitor continued to cement his legacy by breaking the tour’s all-time podium record, reaching an unprecedented 63 podium finishes—a feat never before achieved in the history of the sport.

• Record Audience for the Tour Finale: The 14th edition of the Gran Canaria Frontón King surpassed 300,000 total views across its live broadcast days, shattering the previous record of 250,000 views set in 2025.

• Rookie of the Year and the Launch of Beyond the Tour: Young Peruvian charger Lucciano Campos earned Rookie of the Season honors after pulling off the remarkable feat of finishing 15th on the overall Men’s world rankings while still competing in the Junior ranks. Additionally, the IBC successfully debuted Beyond the Tour this year, a new podcast-style interview series featuring the tour’s biggest stars, broadcast across all official channels.

Season Recap: 13 Stops Around the Globe

• February – Morocco World Bodyboard Championship (Taghazout Bay, Morocco): The 2026 season kicked off in Moroccan waters with wins for South Africa’s Tristan Roberts in the Men Division and Peru’s Lucciano Campos in the Junior Men.

• April – Antofagasta Bodyboard Festival (Chile): The tour headed to South America for the debut of the La Nilda wave. In Prime Series action, Tristan Roberts claimed back-to-back Men Division victories, while in DropKnee,Ecuador’s Jericco Rossero made history by clinching his country’s first-ever world title after edging out Hawaiian Sammy Morretino in a thrilling final.

• May – Itacoatiara Pro (Brazil): Scoring epic conditions at the heavy Brazilian slab, Chile’s Matías Díaz delivered a standout performance to defeat Tristan Roberts in an unforgettable final.

• July – Pascuales Bodyboard Pro (Mexico) and Future Pro’s (Australia): The tour made its debut in the heavy,hollow surf of Pascuales (Rising Series), where local charger Kalani Favela pulled off a major upset against two-time world champion Amaury Lavernhe in the final, while France’s Ilan Chouard put on a show to take the Junior Men crown. That same month, the second edition of the Future Pro’s on Australia’s Gold Coast crowned young local standout Bodi Hugin.

• August – Punta Negra Pro (Peru), Everyday Mehdya (Morocco), Visit Maldives Pro (Maldives), and Quebramar Cup (Portugal): In Peru, the inaugural Punta Negra Pro (Junior Rising Series) saw Brazil’s Guilherme Montenegro take top honors, while in Morocco, Adam El Moutouakil claimed victory at the second edition of Everyday Mehdya. Meanwhile, the Visit Maldives Pro relocated to the iconic Cokes reef break on Thulusdhoo Island—hosting a Women’s Prime Series and a Junior Rising Series—crowning Pierre-Louis Costes (France), Namika Yamashita (Japan), and Eyan Ahmed (Maldives). Late in the month, Costa Nova, Portugal hosted the first-ever Quebramar Cup (Women’s Rising Series), with young Brazilian talent Luna Hardman taking the win.

• September – Sintra Bodyboard Festival (Portugal), Grom King Pro (Spain), and ArcelorMittal Wahine Bodyboard Pro (Brazil): The longest-running stop on tour returned to Praia Grande (Women’s Prime Series and Men’s Rising Series), delivering wins for Namika Yamashita and Pierre-Louis Costes. In Gran Canaria, local rider Alberto Pérez successfully defended his title for the second year in a row at the Grom King Pro, the final qualifier for the Junior Grand Final. Meanwhile, Jacaraípe (Espírito Santo) hosted the flagship event of women's bodyboarding and its renowned social program: the ArcelorMittal Wahine Bodyboard Pro (Prime Series), where all three women's world titles were decided with victories by Namika Yamashita (Women), Luana Dourado (Junior Women), and Soraia Rocha (Master Women).

• October – Gran Canaria Frontón King (Gáldar, Spain): The tour wrapped up in style at one of the heaviest, most demanding waves on the planet, hosting the Men’s Prime Series finale and the Junior Men Grand Final (featuring the top six finishers from each of the seven qualifying events). Spain’s Armide Soliveres claimed the event win to be crowned the new King of El Frontón, on a landmark day that also saw Tristan Roberts lock in his third Men’s World Title. In the Junior Men division, Italy’s Damiano Bonazzi captured both the event win and the World Title after going head-to-head with Hawaii’s Davey Anderson in one of the greatest aerial finals in division history.

Looking Ahead to 2027

As a year packed with non-stop action, radical maneuvers, and dream waves comes to a close, the International Bodyboarding Committee extends its deepest gratitude to the event promoters, sponsors, partners, media, riders, judges,technical crew, and fans who made this collective success possible. The organization is already hard at work finalizing the official 2027 IBC World Tour schedule, which will be announced soon across all official channels.

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