Benoit Carpentier of France. Photo: ISA
El Salvador will host the ISA World SUP Championships from November 10-15, continuing its unprecedented investment in surf events through the country’s Surf City campaign.
This marks the third ISA contest in El Salvador this year, following April’s Longboard Championships and September’s World Surfing Games. The country first staged an ISA event under President Nayib Bukele in 2019 – that was also the World SUP Championships. Since then the country has hosted nine more events, prompting ISA President Fernando Aguerre to say that, “El Salvador has proven itself again and again as a world-class host.”
In 2024, events generated 73 percent of the ISA’s revenue. With three of its five events this year taking place in El Salvador, and at least three more scheduled through 2027, the organization is relying heavily on Bukele’s backing. In 2025, El Salvador is presumably covering as much as – or more than – half of the ISA’s total revenue.
El Salvador’s growing role in competitive surfing parallels major shifts in its political landscape. Congress recently removed presidential term limits, allowing Bukele to remain in power indefinitely – a move that all but guarantees continued investment in the sport.
Tourism Minister Morena Valdez highlighted why the country is eager to purchase more events.
“We are convinced that this World Championship will continue contributing to the local economy and opening doors to new markets around the world so that more and more people come to visit, invest, and live in El Salvador,” she said.
The ISA SUP Championships were previously held in Denmark (2024), France (2023), and Puerto Rico (2022).
