Janina Zeitler places 5th at International WSL QS 6000 in Oporto, Portugal
Janina Zeitler delivers one of the strongest international results of her career at the Xacobeo Norte Surf Fest and now heads directly to Brazil for the next QS 6000 International in Saquarema
German professional surfer Janina Zeitler has recorded one of the most significant results of her ocean-surfing career, finishing 5th at the Xacobeo Norte Surf Fest, a World Surf League International QS 6000 ,held at Praia de Leça da Palmeira, OPorto, Portugal.
The result moves Zeitler into the Top10 of the European Qualifying Series ranking and marks another major step in the Munich-born surfer’s remarkable progression from the standing river waves of southern Germany to competing among the world's elite.
Held from September 1 to 6, the Xacobeo Norte Surf Fest marked Portugal’s first appearance on the newly introduced QS 6000 International calendar. With 80 women and 144 men, the event brought together athletes from WSL regions around the world rather than operating solely as a European regional contest, making it the strongest field of the 2026/27 Qualifying Series season.
Starting her campaign in the Round of 64, Janina Zeitler advanced through a succession of increasingly difficult heats.
She first progressed from a heat featuring eventual runner-up Maria Salgado, South Africa’s Challenger Series Natasha Van Greunen and Great Britain’s Charlotte Mulley.
In the Round of 32 she advanced alongside former Portuguese Olympian and Challenger Series surfer Teresa Bonvalot, Challenger Series surfer Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie, .again securing progression with a standout performance from the Round of 16 against Challenger Series surfer Sol Aguirre, Former World Tour surfer India Robinson and Spanish National Champion Melania Díaz.
Her run eventually came to an end in the quarterfinals in a head-to-head encounter with Aelan Vaast.
That progression through such a stacked field adds considerable weight to the result.
For Zeitler, who grew up hundreds of kilometres from the nearest ocean, performing at this level remains a unique story within international surfing.
The result also continues a trend of increasingly competitive performances at international events.
Over the last 12 months she recorded a 5th finish at the WSL QS in Caparica, Portugal, where she also produced one of the standout performances of the competition. Earlier in 2026 she again reached the quarterfinal stage of the WSL Pro Taghazout Bay in Morocco.
The performance in Porto now places her now among the Top10 surfers on the European QS Leaderboard.
JZ Media
"I felt really comfortable on my boards and like I was able to show more of the surfing I know I am capable of in competition. There is definitely hunger for more but I am incredibly proud of the week.
A lot of the work happens where nobody sees it, early mornings, gym sessions, difficult contests, travelling, losing heats, analysing everything and then going right back to work again. When a result like this comes, it gives you confidence that the process is working.
Growing up in Munich, I could never take ocean surfing for granted. I think that is something I will always carry with me. To now be travelling around the world competing at this level against girls who grew up in some of the best surf destinations in the world is something I am very grateful for. But I also don’t want to stop here. This result gives me even more motivation for what comes next and I can't wait to head to Brazil for the next International QS6000."
Janina Zeitler
That Munich background has increasingly become part of the identity of Zeitler’s career. What initially appeared to be a geographical disadvantage has developed into one of the most distinctive pathways in European surfing: from the Eisbach and rapid-surf competitions to National Team representation and now the closing stages of major international WSL events.
Her coach and partner Mario Andrade, who has accompanied the transition from river surfing into a full-time ocean programme, sees the result as confirmation of a much longer development process rather than a sudden breakthrough.
"We have been working for a long time on bringing the surfing she shows every day in training into competition: surfing with power, commitment, trusting her decisions, staying active in difficult heats and not being afraid to show what she can do. This week we saw a lot of that.
The field here was incredibly strong. You had some of the best surfers from all over the world and a draw stacked against Challenger Series and former Championship Tour surfers, so advancing heat after heat in this environment is a very meaningful performance.
What people sometimes forget with Janina is where this entire journey started. She didn’t grow up looking at the ocean from her bedroom or surfing before school every morning. She grew up in Munich and learned on a river. So when you see her now in a quarterfinal of a QS 6000 International, it is something really special, I don't think we have ever seen something like this in surfing and she can be very proud of it.
But don't get me wrong, neither of us sees this as the destination. It is confirmation that we are heading in the right direction, and now the focus immediately shifts to Brazil.”
— Mário Andrade
There will be little time to celebrate.
Zeitler now travels directly from Europe to Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, where she will compete in the WSL REMA Saquarema Surf Festival International QS6000, scheduled for September 14 to 20 at Praia de Itaúna.
Follow Janina Zeitler´s inspiring journey as a professional surfer through all her social media channels listed down bellow:
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