Alys Barton has become the first ever British surfer to qualify outright for the World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series after an impressive second place finish at the WSL Pro Taghazout 4,000 Regional Qualifier in Morocco on Sunday.

Alys impressed throughout the week, winning all her Heats including arguably the Heat of the event in Round 16 where she produced an individual wave score of 9.33 and a 7.33 backup. In a tense final, Alys was finally beaten by Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri, who is the current ISA World Games Champion and has a Challenger Series podium to her name. Such a strong showing against such a competitive field should give Alys immense confidence going into next season and we are all incredibly excited to see her perform and represent GB on the world stage.

Her second-place finish gave her the points needed to finish the season 5th in Europe and confirm her place on the WSL Challenger Series, which is the second tier of the WSL pyramid, serving as the pathway to qualification for the Championship Tour.

British surfers (Patrick Langdon-Dark and Sky Brown) have previously been awarded event wildcards to compete on the Challenger Series, but as one-off entries. Alys is the first British surfer, male or female, to qualify for the whole Series.

The Series, which starts in July, comprises of five events featuring some of the best surfers from around the world at iconic locations in five different continents.

July: Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

July: Huntington Beach, California, USA

September: São Sebastiãn, São Paulo, Brazil

October: Ribeira D’llhas, Ericeira, Portugal

March (2027): Newcastle: NSW, Australia