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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.

 
World SUP Festival Costa Blanca Kicks Off the 2026 European SUP League

22 Mar 2026

World SUP Festival Costa Blanca Kicks Off the 2026 European SUP League

Like every year, Spain will become the center of the international SUP race scene this April, as the World SUP Festival Costa Blanca returns from April 24 to 26, 2026, in Santa Pola, Alicante. Now in its sixth edition, the festival has established itself as one of the world’s largest SUP events, bringing together extensive […]

Test time at the World SUP Festival: Polish talent Jakub Kubiak, 16, steps up on a custom BassSUP board

19 Mar 2026

Test time at the World SUP Festival: Polish talent Jakub Kubiak, 16, steps up on a custom BassSUP board

We caught a glimpse on social media inside the shaping process of a new custom board – where shaper Jędrzej Klafkowski spends most of his time when he’s not on the water, refining designs and pushing performance forward. This time, he had a sidekick: 16-year-old talent Jakub Kubiak from Racibórz, closely involved in the creation […]

European SUP League Bigger in 2026: 6 Stops, 5 Nations, 1 Continental Title

13 Mar 2026

European SUP League Bigger in 2026: 6 Stops, 5 Nations, 1 Continental Title

Following its successful launch in 2025, the European SUP League (ESL) returns in 2026 with a broader international footprint and an expanded competitive structure. The inaugural season featured four events across two countries — three in Spain and one in Portugal — and marked the first step toward creating a unified professional circuit for SUP […]

Tommaso Pampinella joins SIC Maui: A decade of racing, set for the next challenge

14 Feb 2026

Tommaso Pampinella joins SIC Maui: A decade of racing, set for the next challenge

One of Italy’s most versatile pro SUP & surf athletes, all-round waterman and Coach, Tommaso Pampinella, is now celebrating a decade of competitive racing. Signing with SIC Maui marks a full circle for the athlete, who has firmly stepped into the world of ocean endurance racing. With an impressive roster of ocean events under his […]

The power of SUPport: Basssup’s impact on the Polish Junior SUP Team & the road ahead with RTW Racibórz Coach Mariusz Miczek

23 Dec 2025

The power of SUPport: Basssup’s impact on the Polish Junior SUP Team & the road ahead with RTW Racibórz Coach Mariusz Miczek

To capture the ongoing growth of the Polish SUP scene, Basssup – premium SUP brand launched in 2016 by founders Jędrzej Klafkowski and Małgosia Majda – has played a key role in Poland’s SUP development from the very start. Jędrzej, who also leads the SUP committee at the Polish Surfing Association (Polski Związek Surfingu), is […]

ESL’s Sesimbra Grand Finale: Alba Frey & Christian Crowned First-Ever Champions

2 Dec 2025

ESL’s Sesimbra Grand Finale: Alba Frey & Christian Crowned First-Ever Champions

The first edition of the Sesimbra SUP Festival delivered a 4th stop and a spectacular finale to the inaugural European SUP League (ESL), uniting more than 100 athletes from 10 nations at Praia do Ouro for a decisive weekend of racing. Organized by the Sesimbra Surf Club, the European Surfing Federation, and the ESL, the […]

The European SUP League to Conclude its First Edition with a Decisive Final in Sesimbra

2 Oct 2025

The European SUP League to Conclude its First Edition with a Decisive Final in Sesimbra

The brand new European SUP League (ESL), in collaboration with the European Surfing Federation, has just announced that its 2025 inaugural season will conclude in Sesimbra (Portugal), on November 29–30 at the iconic Praia do Ouro. This date adjustment follows the recent scheduling of the ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championship (November 10–15, El Salvador), […]

World SUP Festival 2025 – “Shrimpy” Conquers as Espe Barreras and Mariecarmen Rivera Split Wins

21 May 2025

World SUP Festival 2025 – “Shrimpy” Conquers as Espe Barreras and Mariecarmen Rivera Split Wins

Attracting over 200 paddlers in the seaside town of Santa Pola, with more than 28 nationalities represented from all 5 continents, €16,000 in prize money, top-tier athletic performance, and a steadfast focus on sustainability and inclusion, the latest edition of the World SUP Festival Costa Blanca stood out, as expected, as a major event on […]