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European SUP League

The European SUP League (ESL) is a continental racing circuit created to bring together the best of European stand-up paddle racing under one unified format. Founded by a collective of SUP club owners and event organizers, including Daniel Parres from the Parres Watersports Club, the league was built around a shared ambition: to elevate SUP racing, strengthen the European scene and bring the sport to a wider audience.

The ESL launched in 2025 with a test season featuring four events in Spain and Portugal, creating a new platform where elite athletes could compete regularly while benefiting from professional event organization and media exposure.

Following the success of its first season, the circuit expanded in 2026 to six events across five European countries, attracting world champions, national team athletes, emerging talents and passionate paddlers. The league features the sport’s key disciplines, including Technical Race and Long Distance, while maintaining a strong connection with the local identity of each host event.

A major focus of the European SUP League is storytelling and media production, with the goal of making SUP racing more accessible and engaging for a broader audience. Each event offers substantial prize money, while an additional overall prize purse rewards the best performers across the entire season at the final stop.

The first-ever European SUP League overall champions were crowned after the inaugural season, with Denmark’s Christian Andersen and Spain’s Alba Frey making history as the first male and female ESL title holders.

 
Could the European Sup League have discovered the next fastest athlete in the women’s sprint field? Meet Núria Chiquero García

10 Oct 2026

Could the European Sup League have discovered the next fastest athlete in the women’s sprint field? Meet Núria Chiquero García

At just 17, Núria Chiquero García is already racing at the front of the European field while still competing in the Under-18 category. Building on the strong season she began on the European SUP League (ESL), the Santa Pola athlete, coached by Daniel Parres at Club Deportivo Parres, has delivered a series of notable results […]

Lluís Perotti: A breakout name rising through the European SUP League

7 Oct 2026

Lluís Perotti: A breakout name rising through the European SUP League

It was a defining season for the European SUP League (ESL), which completed its second consecutive year as the official stand-up paddle circuit sanctioned by the European Surfing Federation. Committed to increasing the visibility of the circuit and creating opportunities for athletes at all levels, the European SUP League has also played an important role […]

Donato Freens and Back-to-Back Champion Alba Alonso Frey Claim 2026 European SUP League Titles

15 Sep 2026

Donato Freens and Back-to-Back Champion Alba Alonso Frey Claim 2026 European SUP League Titles

The European SUP League concluded its 2026 season in Sesimbra, Portugal, for the second year in a row, with a spectacular final event that decided the circuit titles. After six stops across five European countries, the Giant from the Netherlands, Donato Freens, sponsored by Infinity and Black Project, conquered the 2026 European SUP League title, […]

European SUP League: Isla Cristina Delivers High-Level Racing, Drama and Breakthroughs

9 Sep 2026

European SUP League: Isla Cristina Delivers High-Level Racing, Drama and Breakthroughs

The European SUP League brought three days of racing, beachside action and international Stand Up Paddle to Playa Central in Isla Cristina from 4 to 6 September, with nearly 150 athletes taking part in the fifth stop of the 2026 season. With four world champions among the field, the Isla Cristina SUP Race delivered a […]

From surf breaks to the race start line: Tomás Lacerda returns to Sesimbra for the European SUP League Grand Finale

8 Sep 2026

From surf breaks to the race start line: Tomás Lacerda returns to Sesimbra for the European SUP League Grand Finale

In just a couple of days, the highly anticipated Portuguese stop takes centre stage, with the European SUP League (ESL) Grand Finale heading to Sesimbra from 11-13 September. Held as part of the Sesimbra SUP Festival and hosted by Surf Clube de Sesimbra, the final weekend promises a high-stakes conclusion to the ESL season, with […]

“A book full of surprises” – Bianca Toncelli prepares for European SUP League Finale at Sesimbra SUP Festival

26 Aug 2026

“A book full of surprises” – Bianca Toncelli prepares for European SUP League Finale at Sesimbra SUP Festival

The European SUP League (ESL) now enters its decisive final stretch, with the next stage taking place in Isla Cristina on 4-6 September, followed just one week later by the Grand Finale in Sesimbra, Portugal, on 11-13 September. Hosted by Surf Clube de Sesimbra as part of the Sesimbra SUP Festival, the final stage will […]

Where ocean culture and SUP run deep: Augusto García Jr. set for the European SUP League stop on home waters in Isla Cristina

18 Aug 2026

Where ocean culture and SUP run deep: Augusto García Jr. set for the European SUP League stop on home waters in Isla Cristina

Isla Cristina, host of the next stop of the European SUP League on 5-6 September, offers something beyond the spectacle of an international race. There is a particular weight to generational watersport stories rooted in home waters – families who grow up on the same coastline, sharing sessions, competitions and a deep connection to the […]

Isla Cristina makes its European SUP League debut – Stop #5: Interview with Augusto García

10 Aug 2026

Isla Cristina makes its European SUP League debut – Stop #5: Interview with Augusto García

For Isla Cristina, hosting the next stop of the European SUP League on 5-6 September is about more than simply staging an international race. It is an opportunity to showcase a town where the sea is deeply woven into its identity – and to introduce a new generation of paddlers to the next level of […]

Alba Frey Doubles Up as Donato Freens and Sergio Cantoral Split the Men’s Titles in Poland

1 Jul 2026

Alba Frey Doubles Up as Donato Freens and Sergio Cantoral Split the Men’s Titles in Poland

The fourth stop of the 2026 European SUP League brought the tour to southern Poland for the ODRA SUP CUP, although this year’s edition did not take place on the Odra River in Racibórz as its name suggests. Instead, competition was held on a picturesque lake in Rybnik, around 30 minutes from the organising club […]

Shuri Araki opens up about the signature Starboard KATANA and his ocean racing philosophy

1 Jul 2026

Shuri Araki opens up about the signature Starboard KATANA and his ocean racing philosophy

When Starboard announced Shuri Araki as the newest member of its Dream Team at the beginning of the year, the SUP world took notice. At just 20 years old, the Okinawan has already amassed eight senior World Championship titles – six ISA and two ICF – and remarkably, he has never raced in the junior division. […]

Spanish Stars Dominate ESL Stop No. 3 as Aarón Sánchez Claims the Double

26 Jun 2026

Spanish Stars Dominate ESL Stop No. 3 as Aarón Sánchez Claims the Double

The 2026 European SUP League reached Switzerland on 20–21 June for the third stop of the season, as the Big Paddle Festival transformed the shores of Lake Zurich into one of the most exciting venues on the European circuit. Organized by Florian Gander, founder of SUP Kultur and the Richterswil Watersport Center, the event marked […]

Decathlon x BassSUP: Inside the rollout of the B-Light inflatable SUP range with Małgorzata Majda

24 Jun 2026

Decathlon x BassSUP: Inside the rollout of the B-Light inflatable SUP range with Małgorzata Majda

BassSUP, the premium Polish watersports brand launched in 2016 as an inflatable SUP company, has grown alongside the sport itself and become one of the driving forces behind the development of stand-up paddling in Poland. As the brand continues to expand its reach across Europe, we caught up with Małgorzata Majda, who oversees BassSUP’s inflatable […]

Next ESL Stop – Poland: National SUP Champion Maja Bauerek ready for the Odra SUP Cup home-water challenge

22 Jun 2026

Next ESL Stop – Poland: National SUP Champion Maja Bauerek ready for the Odra SUP Cup home-water challenge

As Rybnik and the wider Polish SUP community prepare for a landmark weekend at the 2026 Odra SUP Cup, we caught up with BassSUP  rider Maja Bauerek ahead of the event. Fresh off a double silver medal in the Long Distance and Technical Race at The Big Paddle Festival, the European SUP League Stop #3, […]