• Competition window from October Sunday 14 – Sat 21
• Eight Men’s and Five Women’s Spots on the Championship Tour up for Grabs
• About the Venue: Praia de Itaúna in Saquarema

PRAIA DE ITAÚNA, Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Friday, October 6, 2023) – The Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil will close out the World Surf League (WSL) 2023 Challenger Series at Praia de Itaúna, in Saquarema, Brazil. This event will be the final opportunity for up-and-coming talents to earn a spot on the 2024 Championship Tour (CT) and the chance to compete amongst the world’s best. The Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil holds a competition window from October 14 – 21, 2023.

The battle for 2024 CT qualification began with two consecutive stops in Australia, on the Gold Coast and in Sydney. It then traveled to Ballito, in South Africa, and Huntington Beach, in California. This week, the penultimate event is taking place in Ericeira, Portugal. The results from Ericeira will greatly affect qualification scenarios heading into the final stop of the season, the Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil.

Final Championship Tour Spots Up for Grabs

At the moment, only two men have officially qualified for the 2024 CT, current No. 1 Cole Houshmand (USA) and current No. 2 Jacob Willcox (AUS). Eight spots for the men and five spots for the women still remain up for grabs. The EDP Vissla Ericeira Pro in Portugal could see more qualifications unfold before the competition finishes. The current list for the remaining spots are held in the following order by rankings: Crosby Colapinto (USA), Eli Hanneman (HAW), Frederico Morais (PRT), Imaikalani deVault (HAW), Samuel Pupo (BRA), Morgan Cibilic (AUS), Jackson Baker (AUS) and Kade Matson (USA).

The current list of the top-5 women is completely dominated by Australia. The clear leader is CT veteran surfer Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), who is close to confirming her name on the 2024 CT. Isabella Nichols (AUS) sits close behind her in 2^nd place. Australia’s India Robinson and Bronte Macaulay are also currently within qualification, ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. The exception is Sawyer Lindblad (USA), who is currently in third place. Brazil’s only hope of qualification is Luana Silva (BRA), who sits in equal seventh place with South Africa’s Sarah Baum (RSA) and Alyssa Spencer (USA), last year’s event winner of the Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil.

About the Venue: Praia de Itaúna in Saquarema

Saquarema is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro, located in the region called Região dos Lagos. The city is known as the “Brazilian Mecca of Surfing” and, since 2017, has hosted the WSL Championship Tour. Saquarema is known for its beautiful beaches, lagoons, waterfalls, and mountains. It is overlooked by the iconic church of Nossa Senhora de Nazaré, which was founded in 1630.

Saquarema receives many swell directions and has contestable surf conditions in sizes ranging from 2-to-12 feet. The best swell direction for Itaúna Beach is east, with offshore winds from the northeast or north.

The City of Saquarema is the only location in the world to host the three main WSL competitions. In April, the Saquarema Surf Festival QS 5000 was held as part of the Qualifying Series, and won by Ian Gouveia (BRA) and Tainá Hinckel (BRA). In June, Saquarema hosted the VIVO Rio Pro Presented by Corona, Stop No. 8 on the CT, and saw Yago Dora (BRA) and Caitlin Simmers (USA) celebrate event victories. Now, the Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil will complete the 2023 Challenger Series and top off an incredible run of events in the region.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

The Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL’s YouTube channel, and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.

The Corona Saquarema Pro Presented by Banco do Brasil is proudly supported by Corona, Banco do Brasil, the City of Saquarema, the Secretary of Sports and Leisure of the Rio de Janeiro State Government, Vivo, Natura KaiaK, Yeti and TikTok. The competition will be broadcast live on WorldSurfLeague.com and the WSL App and YouTube Channel.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.