Up to 90 of the globe’s best riders, including Olympic and World champions, will converge on Portugal's Atlantic coast with world ranking points and titles on the line.
The stakes extend well beyond 2026 - this championship forms a critical part of the qualification pathway towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where Formula Kite will once again take centre stage as a medal event.
Viana do Castelo is no ordinary venue. Perched on Portugal's northern coast, it has earned a fierce reputation among the world's top athletes as one of the most demanding and exhilarating race arenas on the circuit. Powerful thermal winds, rolling Atlantic swell, and a technically unforgiving race course combine to sort the contenders from the champions.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk
Formula Kite hydrofoils fly above the water at speeds exceeding 50 km per hour, blending the adrenaline of board sports with the precision of Olympic racing. Physically brutal, technically complex and breathtakingly fast, the class has rewritten what Olympic sailing looks like and drawn a new generation of elite athletes in its wake.
Back to defend their titles are 2025 Men’s and Women’s World Champions Riccardo Pianosi of Italy and Dutch rider Jessie Kampman. The pair sealed their titles in a nail-biting final day of racing in Sardinia last October and will be hoping for less treacherous weather conditions this time round.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: 2022 World champion Toni Vodisek (SLO) in contention
Other stars to watch out for include Singapore’s Max Maeder. The multiple World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist is looking to go one better than his silver at the 2025 worlds. Trying to stop him will be old rival from Slovenia Toni Vodisek, who won the World title in 2022. Another big contender will be Olympic champion Valentin Bontus of Austria.
Seven-times women’s World Champion Daniela Moroz of the USA is looking to regain the title that’s eluded her since 2023. French rider Lauriane Nolot, who won bronze in 2025, will be fired up to challenge for gold after a winter of hard training.
Portugal's Mafalda Pires de Lima and Tomás Pires de Lima will carry the nation's hopes when they take to the water in the women's and men's fleets respectively. The siblings made the leap from traditional sailing and have steadily risen through the ranks of Formula Kite. Mafalda has already stood on the sport's biggest stage, representing Portugal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Racing on home waters, with the crowd behind them and every gust of wind familiar, the pair will be dangerous. Their presence also speaks to something larger: the unmistakable rise of Formula Kite in Portugal, and a nation increasingly making its mark on the international sailing map.
Notes:
The 2026 Formula Kite Worlds run from 11 to 16 May at Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
The 2026 Formula Kite World Championships are organised under the authority of the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA), in partnership with the Portuguese Sailing Federation and governed by World Sailing. The event is supported by FeelViana Sport Hotel, the Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude (IPDJ), Turismo do Porto e Norte de Portugal, the Câmara Municipal de Viana do Castelo and Ocean Winds.
