2026 ISA World Para Surfing Championship

About this event

The International Surfing Association brings the 11th World Para Surfing Championship to DSRT Surf in Palm Desert, with athlete classification and participant meetings November 16-18 and the advertised championship program November 19-22, 2026. It is the first ISA World Championship held in a surf lagoon. The 5.5-acre, 8.5-million-gallon Wavegarden Cove can generate up to 1,000 waves per hour and more than 20 repeatable wave profiles. ISA expects approximately 140 athletes from 24 national teams across nine Para Surfing Sport Classes. Spectators are welcomed in person and ISA has announced a global livestream on isasurf.org; championship-specific admission, parking and the final stream URL remain pending. Athlete entry is invitation/qualification only through an ISA member national federation. The live team-roster form closes Saturday, November 7 at 5:00 PM PST. Federations submit an editable roster, receive and pay an invoice, then complete all athletes and officials in ISA LineUp. Entry is $275 per athlete; five support-person registrations per team are complimentary and each additional support person is $50. A national team may enter up to nine men and nine women, with no more than two athletes of a gender in any one class. Limited participant-only lagoon training is available November 16-18 at $175 per hour, with Advanced Carves and Advanced Turns sessions capped at 12 surfers per side / 24 total; training interest closes October 28. Classification appointments are at The Westin Rancho Mirage on November 16-17. Current ISA pages disagree on the November 16 classification window, so athletes should use their assigned appointment. Competition wave settings are still being finalized around Advanced Carve variations, and daily contest start times and heat draws remain TBA. All athletes are subject to ISA anti-doping rules and in-competition testing.

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