On 25 and 26 July 2026, the German Surfing Federation will bring the nation’s top surfers to Hanover. At the 2026 Finals, the German Rapid Surfing Championships will be held for the first time as an official part of the multi-sport event. The enercity Leinewelle in Hanover’s old town will provide the backdrop for this debut. In the Open Women and Open Men categories, Germany’s best rapid surfers will compete for the championship title. Spectators can watch the competitions free of charge from the riverbank; the contest will also be streamed and broadcast on TV from the semi-finals onwards.
Clash of the Tour champions in the Men’s Open; Schneider the favourite in the Women’s Open
In the Open Men’s event, all eyes are on the showdown between Marius Øystein Gerlach from Munich and Hannes Mosch from Berlin. Gerlach narrowly secured the o2 Surf Masters Tour title ahead of Mosch in the season finale at the end of June. The Berliner is now eager for revenge and the national championship title. Antonin Meier from Munich dominated the tour final in Freiburg with a world-class performance and is one of the hot favourites for the title. Leander Lu from Berlin rounds off the field of favourites. On Saturday 25 July, the Open Men’s competition gets underway with the quarter-finals at 1.00 pm. The semi-finals begin at 2.30 pm, with the final starting at 3.25 pm. The prize-giving ceremony will take place at 3.50 pm.
Valeska Schneider from Munich is considered the favourite to beat in the Open Women’s category. The newly crowned overall winner of the o2 Surf Masters tour has been in a league of her own this season. She now hopes to crown her dominance with the official DWV championship title. Anika Weizel from Osnabrück finished second in the series’ overall standings and is set to challenge Schneider. Munich’s Lea Sasse is also among the title contenders. On Sunday, 26 July, the Open Women’s competition gets underway with the quarter-finals at 12.30 pm. The semi-finals begin at 2.20 pm, with the final at 3.20 pm. The prize-giving ceremony will take place at 3.45 pm. On both days, the matches will be held in close proximity to the spectators.
Live broadcast on TV and via streaming
The competitions will be broadcast live on TV and via live stream on both days, starting with the semi-finals. On Saturday 25 July, ZDF will broadcast the Open Men’s final from 3.45 pm to 4.05 pm. The live stream is available at sportschau.de runs from 2.25 pm to 4.00 pm. On Sunday 26 July, ARD will broadcast the Women’s Open final from 3.20 pm to 3.30 pm. The live stream on sportschau.de will run from 2.20 pm to 3.55 pm.
