World Wave Tour confirms France and UK as 4-star events for 2026

by International Windsurfing Tour 5 Feb 07:20 PST

France and UK confirmed as 4-star events for 2026 © International Windsurfing Tour

The World Wave Tour (WWT) has officially confirmed France and the United Kingdom as 4-STAR World Cup Challenger events on the 2026 Unified World Wave Tour Calendar, strengthening Europe's role at the heart of the sport's new global structure.

These events now sit in the Major International Tier of the WWT Pyramid - a level reserved for high quality competitions delivering strong fields, professional organisation, and global ranking impact.

France - Power, history, and mass participation

France has long been one of windsurfing's deepest talent pools and strongest event hosts. FACT: France has more athletes in the World Wave Rankings than any other nation on the unified World Wave Tour. The massive depth of participating talent makes this event a star studded event every year, including the heroic 2025 winners Arthur and Alice Arutkin siblings, along with all the French legends competing over the years including Jules Denel, Baptistpe Cloarec, Antoine Martin, Miguel Chapuis, Justine Lemeteyer, and European chargers Sol Derrick, Trine Gobisch and many others.

From Atlantic storm arenas to Mediterranean speed corridors, French events consistently combine:

Large, competitive fleets
Strong industry support
Media friendly venues
Proven organisational experience

As a 4-STAR Event Nation, French competitions will:

Offer major world ranking points
Act as stepping stones to 5-STAR Majors
Showcase emerging European talent
Deliver professional broadcast ready event formats

France's inclusion at this level reflects both its grassroots strength and its international performance standard.

United Kingdom - Raw conditions, power riders

The United Kingdom brings a different - and essential - ingredient to the world tour: serious weather, serious sailors. It has been 20 years since the PWA partnered with Tiree in 2007, but recent years have seen more and more of the top pro riders drawn back, including luminaries like the current World Champion Marc Pare, powerhouses riders like Julian Salmonn, Miguel Chapuis, Julien Tabouet, Dieter van Eyken and many others, all enjoying the adventure and legendary hospitality.

British events are known for:

True North Atlantic wave power
Demanding, high-skill conditions
A passionate core windsurfing community
Longstanding national race and wave circuits

At 4-STAR level, UK events will:

Deliver high value ranking opportunities
Provide elite competition environments
Feed top British riders into the world stage
Strengthen the Northern European competition corridor

This tier recognises the UK's role as one of the sport's most resilient and authentic competitive environments.

What 4-star status means

4-STAR Events represent the upper international tier below World Cup Majors.

They are defined by:

Significant ranking point allocation
Professional event delivery standards
Broadcast integration potential
Strong national and international fields

These events are critical to the WWT structure because they:

Bridge regional talent to the global elite - World Cup Challengers
Expand media and sponsor reach - France and the UK are giants with huge resources
Create reliable mid-tier professional opportunities - European athletes now enjoy affordable steps toward 5-STAR

Building the new global structure

With France and the UK confirmed, the 2026 calendar continues to shape into a true international pyramid, where: