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World Freestyle
SUP League 2026


Submissions open on August 1, 2026

Season: August 1–31, 2026

📲 Post your video. Show your style. Become part of SUP history.

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Flatwater Freestyle SUP

14/30

🥇Gold League

Flatwater — 30-second performance

23/25

💎 Diamond League

Flatwater — 60-second performance

12/12

👑 Grandmaster League

Flatwater — 90-second performance


River Freestyle
SUP

15/30

River Freestyle — 45-second performance

Flatwater Freestyle SUP Animal

2/15

Flatwater Animal — 45-second performance

Submissions open on August 1, 2026

What's New in 2026

Three Flatwater Leagues

Gold, Diamond and Grandmaster — choose your level and compete.

Animal Category

Brand-new — freestyle with your pet on the board. Dogs, cats and more welcome!

New Judging Criterion

Paddle Contact with Water — a brand-new criterion added for 2026.

Separate Rankings

Men and women are judged separately in every category — except Animal, which has one combined ranking.

In 2024, we launched the world’s first online Freestyle SUP League.

Back then, we just wanted to inspire the community.
It turned out to be more than just a contest — it became the beginning of a movement.

In 2025, the movement went global.

Riders from 13 countries came together across two disciplines — Flatwater and River Wave — with a level of style, creativity and courage that blew us away.

Now, in 2026, we're going bigger.

Three Flatwater leagues, a bold River season and a brand-new Animal category. There are too many strong, creative, original riders out there for us to stay silent — it's time to make SUP bold, vibrant and exciting.

Join us — it’s easy.

Show your style. Tell your story.

What is the Freestyle SUP League?

A free online tournament open to anyone — no matter your skill level.
→ Just record your video and post it on Instagram.

Dates: August 1–31, 2026

How to participate:

1

Film your freestyle in one continuous take — no cuts or edits. The length depends on your category and league.

2

Make sure your Instagram profile is public — otherwise we can't accept your video.

3

Post it on Instagram.

  • Send a co-author request to @luckycharmsup.
  • Start your caption with: World Freestyle SUP League 2026
  • Then add your discipline: Flatwater Freestyle / River Freestyle / Freestyle SUP Animal
  • If Flatwater — add your league: Gold, Diamond or Grandmaster
  • Then your name, country, attempt number (e.g. 1/2)
  • If Freestyle SUP Animal — add your pet's name too (e.g. Pavel Kochanov and JoJo).
  • Optional: a personal note and hashtags

An example of the caption

World Freestyle SUP League 2026

Flatwater Freestyle, Grandmaster League

Pavel Kochanov, Georgia, attempt 1/2

Friends, how great it is to enjoy your ride. These tricks are a real challenge...

#worldfreestylesup #freestylesupleague #freestylesupleague2026 #freestylesup

4

Make sure your submission follows the official rules.

5

We recommend posting in vertical format, but horizontal videos are also accepted.

6

That’s it — you’re in!

Download

Rider’s Guide available in 8 languages:

🇬🇧 English · 🇪🇸 Español · 🇮🇹 Italiano · 🇩🇪 Deutsch · 🇷🇺 Русский · 🇯🇵 日本語 · 🇵🇹 Português · 🇹🇷 Türkçe

File upload

ENG-Instructions-for-Participants-of-the-World-Freestyle-SUP-League-2026.pdf

3.1 MB

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ES-Instrucciones-para-los-Participantes-de-la-Liga-Mundial-de-SUP-Freestyle-2026.pdf

3.1 MB

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IT-Istruzioni-per-i-Partecipanti-della-World-Freestyle-SUP-League-2026.pdf

3.1 MB

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DE-Anweisungen-fur-Teilnehmer-der-World-Freestyle-SUP-League-2026.pdf

3.1 MB

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RUS-Instrukciya-dlya-uchastnikov-Mirovoj-Ligi-Fristajl-SUP-2026.pdf

3.1 MB

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JA-SUP2026.pdf

3.7 MB

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PT-Instrucoes-para-os-Participantes-da-World-Freestyle-SUP-League-2026.pdf

3.1 MB

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TR-Talimatlar-2026-Dunya-Freestyle-SUP-Ligi-Katilimcilari-Icin.pdf

3.1 MB

Categories & Quotas

Flatwater Freestyle SUP

Choose ONE league

  • 🥇 Gold League — 30 seconds — 30 slots
  • 💎 Diamond League — 60 seconds — 20 slots
  • 👑 Grandmaster League — 90 seconds — 10 slots

Mandatory conditions:

• Tricks must be performed on an inflatable SUP board
• Life jacket is recommended

River Freestyle SUP

45-second performance — 30 slots

Whitewater downriver, river runs, river surfing or a hybrid

Mandatory conditions:

• An inflatable SUP board must be used
• Required:
  – Life jacket
  – Leash attached to a waist belt or to the life jacket
• Recommended: helmet and additional protection

Flatwater Freestyle SUP Animal

45-second performance — 15 slots

Freestyle with your pet on the board; dogs, cats and other companions welcome, big or small; animal safety always comes first.

Mandatory conditions:

  • An inflatable SUP board must be used
  • Life jacket is recommended
  • The animal's safety and comfort come first

How attempts and slots work

1

You have 2 attempts (2 videos) in each category

— Flatwater, River and Animal — as long as slots are still open. Slots fill up in the order videos are published, so the sooner you post, the better your chance to get in.

2

You can enter just one category or take part in all three

— it's up to you.

3

In Flatwater, you must choose only one league

— Gold, Diamond or Grandmaster — and both of your attempts must be used within that single league.

4

1 slot = 1 attempt.

5

First Come, First Served

Entries are counted in the order they are published — don't delay.

Judging Criteria

Transparent scoring system

We've developed a unique evaluation method based on clear, consistent judging sheets. The format was successfully tested during the first online Freestyle SUP League (2024), the World Freestyle SUP League 2025, and the Vuoksa Freestyle Challenge 2025. Our judges are pioneers and top-level experts in Freestyle and river SUP — from around the world.
Each entry is scored on unified criteria: 7 in Flatwater (including the new Paddle Contact with Water), 6 in River, and in Animal — the standard criteria plus a special Animal Movement & Balance score (up to 15 points). Men and women are ranked separately in every category except Animal, which has one combined ranking.

Download

Official judging criteria
— available in 8 languages

🇬🇧 English · 🇪🇸 Español · 🇮🇹 Italiano · 🇩🇪 Deutsch · 🇷🇺 Русский · 🇯🇵 日本語 · 🇵🇹 Português · 🇹🇷 Türkçe

File upload

ENG-Judging-Criteria-for-FREESTYLE-SUP-League-2026.pdf

963.7 KB

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ES-Criterios-de-Evaluacion-para-la-Liga-FREESTYLE-SUP-2026.pdf

965.8 KB

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IT-Criteri-di-Valutazione-per-la-Freestyle-SUP-League-2026.pdf

962.4 KB

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DE-Bewertungskriterien-fur-die-FREESTYLE-SUP-Liga-2026.pdf

976.5 KB

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RUS-Kriterii-sudejstva-2026-WFSL.pdf

972.3 KB

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JA-2026SUP.pdf

5.6 MB

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PT-Criterios-de-Avaliacao-da-Liga-FREESTYLE-SUP-2026.pdf

968.5 KB

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TR-2026-FREESTYLE-SUP-Ligi-Degerlendirme-Kriterleri.pdf

967.6 KB

Judges of the World Freestyle SUP League 2026

For now, meet our organizer and head judge:

Pavel Kochanov

World Freestyle SUP League Organizer & Judge

Pioneer of Whitewater and Freestyle SUP

@kochanov_p

Partners

Our League partners will be announced soon — stay tuned.
Want to support Freestyle SUP and grow the movement with us?
Become a partner: [email protected]




Season 2025

13

Countries

Riders from 13 countries competed

2

Disciplines

Flatwater and River Wave

13 countries, two disciplines, an incredible level of style and creativity. The winners shared interviews about their journey and plans for the future.

Riders, 2025 judges and 2025 champions — meet them all, and get inspired, in the Meet the Riders section.

Contact Us

@kochanov_p

@luckycharmsup

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