The EDP Ericeira Pro, the fourth stop on the 2025 Challenger Series tour, is ready to roll. This Sunday, the full competition bracket was laid out. Portugal will send a strong eight-person squad to surf its home waves. Four men and four women will represent the nation. Adding to the excitement, Joaquim Chaves and Camila Cardoso just locked in their spots. They won the local trials at Ribeira d’Ilhas beach, securing the final openings for this big Portuguese event.
Joaquim Chaves, who was the national champion in 2023, now joins the men’s team. He will surf alongside Frederico Morais and Afonso Antunes. Morais currently ranks 53rd, while Antunes sits at 65th in the overall standings. Both are regulars on the Challenger Series. Guilherme Ribeiro, the current national champion, also got a special wildcard entry from the organizers. All four of these Portuguese surfers will kick off their campaigns in the very first round.
The opening heat for the men will feature Frederico Morais, known as “Kikas.” He will compete against New Zealand’s Billy Stairmand, American Ryan Huckabee, and Australia’s Taj Stokes. In Heat 4, Joaquim Chaves steps up to face Brazilians Peterson Crisanto and Wesley Leite, plus Japan’s Joh Azuchi. Guilherme Ribeiro will battle it out in Heat 5. His opponents are France’s Kauli Vaast, the reigning Olympic champion, Brazil’s Jadson Andre, and Japan’s Tenshi Iwami. Finally, Afonso Antunes will ride in the eighth and last heat of the round. He will go up against Igor Moraes from Brazil, Tully Wylie from Australia, and Josh Burke from Barbados.
A notable entry in the men’s field is Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi. He was ranked number 7 on the World Tour in 2025. Igarashi is the only elite World Tour surfer competing at the EDP Ericeira Pro. He lives in Ericeira, so this event offers a perfect chance to get into form for the upcoming season. Kanoa gets a direct pass into Round 2, where he will be in Heat 8. There, he’ll join Hawaiians Ian Gentil and Shion Crawford. The surfer who finishes second in Round 1’s Heat 4, which could be Joaquim Chaves, will also join them.
On the women’s side, Camila Cardoso will be the only Portuguese surfer in the inaugural round. Yolanda Hopkins, who is currently second in the women’s rankings, is a top seed. Francisca Veselko, ranked 5th, and Teresa Bonvalot, ranked 6th, also hold seeded spots. Their status means they all get a direct entry into Round 2.
Camila Cardoso will compete in the first heat of the women’s Round 1. She faces a tough lineup including young Tya Zebrowski from France. Zebrowski is only 14 years old and leads the circuit rankings. Japan’s Mirai Ikeda and Hawaii’s Vaihitimahana Inso will also join them in that heat.
Moving into Round 2, Teresa Bonvalot is set for Heat 3. She’ll surf with Japan’s Amuro Tsuzuki and two other surfers coming from Round 1. Francisca “Kika” Veselko will appear right after in the next heat. She’ll compete alongside France’s Tessa Thyssen and two qualifiers from Round 1. This sets up an exciting sequence of three consecutive heats featuring Portuguese women. Yolanda Hopkins will join South Africa’s Sarah Baum and two Round 1 qualifiers in Heat 5.
This event at Ribeira d’Ilhas is the middle stage of the seven-event Challenger Series for 2025. It is a fantastic chance for Portuguese surfers to earn crucial points. These points are vital for qualifying for the 2026 World Tour. The women’s team holds a particularly strong position. Three Portuguese women are currently within the top 7 in the rankings, which is the cutoff for joining next year’s elite women’s circuit.