The competition will take place from 25 to 29 November at Las Américas, as part of the Spring Surfest Las Américas Pro, featuring U18 Men's and Women's divisions and €10,000 in prize money 

The European Surfing Federation is pleased to announce the ESF Junior Cup 2026, an invitation-only competition bringing together some of Europe's best under-18 surfers at Las Américas, Tenerife, Spain, from 25 to 29 November 2026. 

The event will be held as part of the Spring Surfest Las Américas Pro 2026, featuring two divisions: U18 Men and U18 Women. Each division will accommodate up to 36 athletes, selected through their respective national federations based on the final team rankings at EuroSurf Junior 2026 in Bundoran, Ireland. 

The competition will offer a total prize purse of €10,000, split equally between the two divisions, with €5,000 allocated to each. Prize money will be awarded to the top eight finishers in each division. 

Invitation system 

Participation is by invitation only through ESF member national federations. Each nation's allocation will be determined by its final team ranking at EuroSurf Junior 2026: 

• 1st–5th place: 3 places per division. 

• 6th–10th place: 2 places per division. 

• 11th place and below: 1 place per division for each remaining participating nation. 

• ESF wildcard: 1 additional place per division, reserved for the European Surfing Federation. 

Invitations that are declined or not confirmed by the deadline will be offered to the next nation in the team rankings. 

Elegibility requirements 

• Age: athletes must be under 18 on 31 December 2026. 

• Entry: nomination through the relevant national federation is mandatory. Individual applications will not be accepted. 

• Documentation: signed parental or legal guardian consent and valid insurance. 

• Team supervision: each nation must be accompanied by a team manager or coach aged 18 or over. 

• Rules: ISA/ESF Rulebook. 

Competition format 

Both divisions will feature two phases: 

1. Seeding rounds 

Each athlete will compete in two seeding heats, one in each round. Each round will consist of six heats of six surfers, with each heat lasting 30 minutes. Round 2 will be redrawn so that athletes face new opponents. 

Each athlete's ranking score will be calculated by adding their two best waves across both heats. The combined scores will determine the overall seeding from 1st to 36th place. 

2. Man-on-man elimination 

The top 32 athletes will advance to a single-elimination draw, progressing through the Round of 32, Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. Match-ups will be based on seeding, with 1st facing 32nd, 2nd facing 31st, and so on. 

Athletes ranked 33rd to 36th will finish equal 33rd. 

Prize money 

The total €10,000 prize purse will be split equally between the two divisions, with €5,000 for U18 Men and €5,000 for U18 Women. 

Prize money per division: 

• 1st place: €1,800 

• 2nd place: €1,100 

• Equal 3rd place: €600 per athlete 

• Equal 5th place: €225 per athlete 

As all competitors are under 18, prize money will be paid to the athlete's legal guardian or to the nominating federation on the athlete's behalf. 

Key dates 

• 28 October 2026: invitations sent to national federations. 

• 5 November 2026: deadline for federations to confirm invitations. 

• 6 November 2026: athlete names and alternates submitted. 

• 10 November 2026: final entry lists published. 

• 25 November 2026: competition opens at Las Américas, Tenerife. 

• 29 November 2026: finals and prize-giving ceremony. 

Through the ESF Junior Cup 2026, the European Surfing Federation continues to support grassroots competition and the development of Europe's next generation of surfing talent, providing young athletes with an international platform to compete and progress in the sport. 

Registrations are still open for the Euromaster and Eurokids competitions at the Spring Surfest Las Américas Pro 2026, offering master surfers and young talents the opportunity to be part of this year's event.