All photos: Raisa Abal

Brazil is different. In a moment in which the wider skateboarding world is wringing its collective hands about engagement and participation, Brazil is crushing it on all fronts.

This is a place which does its own thing, and in its own way.

There is much to admire about that independence of spirit.

This World Championships is being held in a municipal park named after acclaimed Brazilian artist Candido Portinari, which is apt because the entire area is devoted to the leisure pursuits of a people for whom expression is part of the fabric of life.

Which brings us to the skatepark: originally constructed at the tail end of the last decade by footwear leviathan Vans, and with a Streetcourse subsequently added by the municipality, it allows for a whole heap of radness in a reasonably condensed footprint. Overlooked by a giant Ferris wheel which twinkles sympathetically with ambient lighting after sundown, it makes for an arresting environment in which to hold a gathering from around the globe.

And quite the gathering this has proven to be: 365 skateboarders have arrived from 49 nations in what is the biggest event in Brazilian skateboarding history, and one which could not have taken place without the assistance of the city itself.

In São Paulo city hall, Mayor Ricardo Nunes hosted a welcoming address which was attended by heavyweight Brazilian media outlets who asked serious and insightful questions about both what skateboarding means to the city and vice versa.

Like we said: Brazil is different.

The other aspect of this World Championships which is novel is the concurrent double-header format, with stands rising high above both Fields Of Play which creates a carnival atmosphere, as skateboarding action pops off in both locations on the same day. It is a riot for the senses, but one which comes with considerable organisational challenges, as you might imagine.

Thankfully, because of all their experience in this field, our local event partner STU’s organisation on the ground here has been exceptional- so before we get into the action let’s take a moment to thank all the local staff who have been both polite and generous to a fault with both their time and help.

One of the ongoing questions that the World Skateboarding Tour poses- and one which belongs to other sporting tours, particularly golf- is whether some destinations offer some form of home advantage. The WST alights in both established skate spaces (as in Sharjah, Argentina, Italy and here in Brazil) as well as custom-built, temporary Fields Of Play as was the case in Dubai, Japan and the Olympic Qualifer Series running into Paris 2024.

The theory- and it is only a theory- is that locals may get to learn the contours and quirks of a skate space through muscle memory over time in a way which new arrivals cannot.

Up to this point, there hasn't been enough of a domestic contingent to really test the idea, but here in Brazil they have a total of twenty-two skateboarders in the top thirty of Men’s and Women’s Street and Park, all told.

Watch this space.

Women’s Street qualifiers were emotionally bookended by two knee injuries: Colombia’s Jazmin Alvarez, who made her WST return 19 months after blowing hers out during the Paris Olympic Games, and Bulgaria’s Julia Plaggeborg who hurt hers just before her WST debut- and just a month after being given the all-clear on her other one. Healing vibes headed her way from all of us here.

Also returning to the fray is Brazil’s Gabriela Mazetto who had slipped way down the rankings to 61st, having not made an appearance on the Tour throughout 2025.

Looking sharper than ever, expect her to rebound way up again on current form.

Staying momentarily with injuries, Japan’s Ginwoo Onodera gave himself a folded ankle during pre-seeded practice in Street, while in Park Indonesia’s Firdausy Nuzula took a heavy wallop on a Body Jar hang-up on the vert extension during his Park run.

While we are on the subject of Park heaviness, the lively crowd’s first full-throated roar of the event was for the Tour debut of local hero Dan Sabino who qualified in third overall and as the highest-placed Brazilian of the phase. Quite the intro to the WST.

Not new to the Tour but coming along a treat in Park are pint-sized crowd-hyper Mazel Paris from the Philippines and China’s Hao Hao ‘Lillibet’ Zheng, who you may remember was the youngest Olympian in Paris and is now busting out the lesser-spotted Backside Kickflip Stalefish (!) in deep-ends. Both qualified within the top ten, but the story at the top of that leaderboard has to be Great Britain taking spots one and three.

In other unanticipated outworkings of these Open Qualifiers, Men’s Street saw the well-liked Portuguese technician Gustavo Ribeiro have an unlucky push-stumble on his vital second run, while the usually-reliable Brazilian Felipe Gustavo was unable to thread together a full run and likewise missed the cut.

America's Braden Hoban also struggled to complete a run but teammate Jagger Eaton held pole position from Heat 6 until the rock-solid local Gio Vianna leapfrogged him with his first run in Heat 8 to lead at the final whistle.

See you tomorrow for Quarterfinals!