The stage is set for an exciting Finals Day at the Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill after the finalists were decided in clean, glassy surf on Friday.

Large crowds lined Willards beach to watch the action as the opening event of the 2026 World Surf League Challenger Series produced an all-Portuguese women’s final and a heavyweight men’s clash between two of the tour’s most powerful surfers.

Portugal’s Francisca Veselko and Teresa Bonvalot will battle for the women’s title after both progressed through the semifinals.

Championship Tour rookie Veselko booked her place in the final by defeating Spain’s Ariane Ochoa, while Bonvalot overcame Peru’s Sol Aguirre. It will be Veselko’s second Challenger Series final after winning the Newcastle Surfest in 2025, while Bonvalot is chasing her first Challenger Series title since claiming victory at the Sydney Surf Pro in 2022.

“I’m really stoked to be going into Finals Day,” said Veselko. “That was the goal from day one coming into Ballito.”

Bonvalot said an all-Portuguese final made the occasion even more special.

“We’ve competed against each other so many times. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and I’m really excited for tomorrow,” she said.

The men’s final promises to be equally entertaining as 2023 Ballito Pro champion Cole Houshmand (USA) takes on Brazil’s Weslley Dantas.

Houshmand produced a dominant semifinal performance to eliminate Australia’s Jarvis Earle, using his trademark power surfing to secure a return to the Ballito final. Victory would see him join Jordy Smith, Mark Richards and Shaun Tomson as one of the few multiple winners of the prestigious event.

Dantas advanced after another spectacular display of aerial surfing, defeating Hawaii’s Jackson Bunch. Earlier in the day he posted the event’s highest single-wave score of 9.40 and highest heat total of 17.57, underlining the form that has carried him to his first Challenger Series final.

Finals Day gets under way on Saturday, with the first call at 8am and a possible start at 8.35am.