GWA Wingfoil World Cup in Dakhla, Morocco - Preview
by Ian MacKinnon 29 Sep 17:56 BST
6-11 October, 2026
GWA Wingfoil World Cup © Wingfoil World Tour
The GWA Wingfoil World Tour returns to Dakhla, Morocco, for a one-off showdown that will decide the 2026 Wave world champions in the pure-surfing discipline.
The GWA Wingfoil Wave World Championship in Dakhla will be the only stop of the season, putting everything on the line at the famous Oum Lamboiur break on the edge of the Sahara desert.
With no second chances, the world's leading wingfoil surfers will battle for the titles over six days in the long, rolling rights that have made Dakhla one of the defining venues of the discipline.
The US's Cash Berzolla and Spain's Nia Suardiaz arrive as the reigning world champions after claiming their crowns in Cape Verde last season, and both are to be among the favourites again.
Intriguing new storyline
Maui-based Berzolla has long been regarded as one of the most exciting wave riders in wingfoiling and already knows what it takes to win in Dakhla. But he faces a formidable field that includes his old rival France's Malo Guénolé (FRA), Canada's Finn Spencer and a host of young riders capable of upsetting the established order.
Cape Verde's Wesley Brito, the 2024 world champion, returns to a discipline in which he remains one of the sport's most powerful competitors. South Africa's Nathan van Vuuren, France's Axel Gerard and American riders Liam Coralle and Marley Franco are also among a deep field that underlines the progression of wingfoil Wave.
But the women's competition brings an intriguing new storyline. Germany's Marie Schlittenbauer, the 2025 Surf-Freestyle world champion, will make her Wave debut in Dakhla, testing herself in the sport's pure-surfing discipline for the first time. Her arrival adds another proven world champion to a field headed by Suardiaz.
Nine-time world champion
The Spaniard, a nine-time wingfoil world champion, has already shown her ability across the full spectrum of wingfoiling disciplines and will be chasing another world crown. But former Wave world champion, the Spaniard Elena Moreno, the Netherlands' Bowien van der Linden and France's Eulalie Thébault are all likely to push her hard.
Moreno has shown she has the game to challenge the best in the world's most demanding waves, while Van der Linden's experience and ability in smaller, more technical surf could again make her a threat at Oum Lamboiur.
France's Milla Danguy, Charlotte Carpentier and Orane Ceris are among a strong European contingent, while Spain's Mar de Arce and Julia Castro add further depth to a field in which the next generation is closing quickly on the established stars.
With the Wave titles to be decided in a single event, Dakhla will offer no opportunity to recover from an early mistake. Every heat will count as the world's best wingfoil surfers fight for the ultimate prize: the 2026 GWA Wingfoil Wave world titles.