Who's Coming to the Boot? | FPT Boot Düsseldorf Fleet Announcement

With the countdown officially on, the world’s best freestyle windsurfers are gearing up for one of the most unique and high-pressure events of the season. The 2026 Season Opener at the Boot Düsseldorf Tow-In Invitational is just around the corner, bringing the world’s best riders together at the unique setting of the Hall 17 indoor pool.

Only the very best will take to the water in Düsseldorf. This year’s Boot Tow-In Invitational features a hand-selected lineup of the world’s best, with eight men and four women invited to bring the action indoors. Here’s who’ll be lining up poolside at Boot 2026.

Lennart Neubauer

Starboard / Severne

The reigning 2025 Boot Invitational winner, 2025 Tow-In World Series Champion, and 2025 Freestyle Pro Tour Champion, Lennart Neubauer is a rider who truly needs no introduction.

Since taking his first major event win at the 2023 FPT Austria during the Surf Opening in Podersdorf, Lennart has established himself firmly at the top of the freestyle world. Last season, he made history as the first-ever Tow-In World Series Champion, kicking things off with victory at Boot before narrowly missing out on the Geneva win to an on-fire Sam Esteve.

After what appeared to be a relatively quiet off-season, Lennart will be looking to kick this season off guns blazing at the 2026 opener. At Boot, he won’t just be defending titles, but he’ll be making a statement about how the rest of the season is going to shape up from here.

Yentel Caers

JP Australia / Neilpryde

Another rider who needs no introduction: Yentel Caers. A name that has become almost synonymous with mind-bending Tow-In performances, we know Yentel to be at his most dangerous when the kicker is big, the crowd is loud and he has full freedom to go as big as possible. We’ve seen him thrive off the massive ramp in Geneva with his go big or go home attitude. Flatwater Tow-In hasn’t always been his strongest playground, but we know Yentel is more than capable of pulling out big combos. Last year’s seemingly dissapointing 4th finish at the Boot Invitational will almost certainly add fuel to the fire, especially with a packed indoor arena lining the poolside.

And if Naxos 2025 proved anything, it’s that Yentel’s flatwater ceiling is far from reached. Taking the win at the Tow-In contest there, his Air Funnel Double Burner that we saw there was proof of just that; with single Air Funnel Burners being the benchmark at the Boot last year, the question now is simple: will this be the year riders are forced to level up?

Expect Yentel to go hunting.

Steven van Broeckhoven

WeOne / GUNSAILS

Yeah… Unc’s still got it. Just when it looked like his Tow-In chapter might be closing, Steven van Broeckhoven made a surprise return to the discipline at the 2025 FPT Geneva and instantly reminded everyone why he’s the most decorated European freestyler of all time. Originally showing up only for Foilstyle, a last-second decision saw him jump into the Tow-In fleet no practice runs, no warm-up excuses.

What followed was classic Stevie. A perfectly stomped Double Air Burner and a One-Handed Burner 360 in his qualification run, delivered with the kind of calm confidence that only comes from decades at the top. With the unique pressure of the Boot Düsseldorf indoor arena and the crowd packed tight around the pool, experience counts for everything; and nobody’s bringing more than Steven. Whenever he lines up, one thing is guaranteed: he’ll be fighting at the top end of the fleet. With the six-time European champion, always expect the unexpected.

Tigo Kort

JP Australia / Neilpryde

The closing stretch of last season was very much Tigo Kort’s moment to shine. While he didn’t quite make the finals at the Tow-In contest in Geneva, he turned heads with remarkably consistent Double Air Rotations; a level of reliability he carried straight into Naxos, where he backed it up with a podium finish, taking third behind an on-fire Yentel Caers and a super-strong Takumi Moriya.

The biggest step forward in Tigo’s Tow-In game has been consistency. Double Air Rotations on lock, fully stretched One-Handed Burners, all delivered with trademark style and control. That consistency was already on display at last year’s Boot Invitational, where he put down a very solid qualifying performance, even if the finals didn’t quite reflect the level he’d shown earlier in the competition.

Known primarily as a tow-in rider who prefers a wave, Tigo has also proven that his flatwater Tow-In shouldn’t be underestimated. a 6th place finish at Boot underlined exactly that. With momentum from last season on his side, don’t be surprised if Tigo pushes even deeper into the mix this time around.

Bodhi Kempen

A technical rider through and through, Bodhi Kempen isn’t afraid to mix things up in Tow-In. We know that he likes his regular stance, his stalled Air Bob in Geneva 2025 was one of the standout moves of the qualifiers; the moment that secured his place in the finals and turned heads across the arena. When it comes to flatwater Tow-In, he’s more than comfortable. Vieste 2024 was the perfect example, where a beautifully executed Double Culo in the finals earned him a well-deserved third place.

We know Bodhi is at his most dangerous when the riding gets technical. If the competition tightens up and creativity becomes the deciding factor, he’s very much a rider to watch. He’s also one of two riders present at this event to switch sponsors in the off-season, stepping away from the Severne team. All eyes will be on what gear he lines up on heading into 2026 and beyond.

Niclas Nebelung

Duotone

Absent from the Freestyle Pro Tour since last year’s edition of the Boot, Niclas Nebelung returns as a rider we already know is capable of mixing it with the very best. A third-place finish at last year’s Boot Invitational, followed by second at the Tow-In contest during the FPT x German Freestyle Battles at SurfFestival Fehmarn, made it clear that Niclas belongs firmly in the top tier of the world’s best Tow-In riders.

Air Funnel Burners and high-difficulty combos are very much in his pocket, and his confidence and experience in Tow-In make him a serious threat. Don’t be surprised to see Niclas going deep into the event, especially in front of the German home crowd, where he’ll be hunting a statement result against the likes of Neubauer and Caers.

Foivos Tsoupras

Duotone

Mr. Tow-In? The Greatest Showman? The Cana Brava man? Yep, that’s this guy right here. Foivos Tsoupras. There may not be a rider on tour who embraces Tow-In with more enthusiasm than Foivos. Always sending it, always smiling, and always ready to pull out that signature Cana Brava; a move that instantly lights up the arena whenever he lands it. While he’s proven himself time and time again on the fin, Tow-In is the discipline where Foivos fully leans into his high-risk, high-reward approach. His results back that up as well: second place at FPT Geneva 2023, second at FPT Vesoul 2023, fifth at last year’s Boot Invitational, and third at the FPT x GFB SurfFestival in 2025.

When Foivos is in the mix, one thing is guaranteed. He’s there to put on a show.

Leander Halm

Starboard / Severne

The youngest rider in the Tow-In fleet, Leander Halm arrives at Boot 2026 facing one of the biggest tests of his young career. After a breakout 2025 season that saw him make huge progress in Tow-In, especially off the kicker, Düsseldorf presents a very different challenge. Without the ramp needed for Double Air Rotations, the indoor pool format will demand a shift in approach precision and rapid progression on flatwater. To be competitive at Boot, Leander will need to translate the same hunger and adaptability that fueled his performances last year into this more technical Tow-In environment.

Progression has never been an issue for him. If Leander can make the same leap in flatwater Tow-In that he did off the wave in 2025, he won’t just be here to gain experience, but he’ll be pushing against some of the top riders at the event.

Maaike Huvermann

Severne

The reigning force in women’s freestyle, Maaike Huvermann arrives at Boot 2026 as the benchmark once again. A six-time Women’s FPT Champion and the winner of last year’s women’s division at the Boot Invitational, Maaike returns to Düsseldorf as the rider to beat at this year’s edition of the event.

Throughout 2025, Maaike has been pushing her Tow-In level harder than ever, with strong performances in both Sardinia and Naxos, backed up by additional Tow-In practice outside the tour at events like DAM-X in Brouwersdam.

In Naxos, we saw her landing some of the first Double Air Rotations ever seen in the women’s fleet; and while that won’t exactly be the name of the game in the flat water in the pool, double moves such as Air Funnel Funnels and Double Funnels are firmly part of her arsenal, complemented by powerful regular-stance Culos that we’ve also seen in Tow-In. Heading into Boot, the question isn’t whether Maaike will push the level, but how far – with the trajectory she’s been on, the possibility of an Air Funnel Burner in the women’s fleet in Düsseldorf can’t be ruled out.

Lisa Kloster

Sailloft

It’s starting to feel like a familiar pattern. Whenever Maaike is leading the charge, Lisa Kloster isn’t far behind. And after the way her 2025 season unfolded, that gap is closing fast.

Arguably the most improved rider of the year, Lisa’s time on the road from the Canaries through to Greece sparked insane progress in her sailing. New moves galore: Culos, Kabikuchis, and even a Spock Kono to kick off 2026 were added to her arsenal on the fin, as we saw her arsenal of moves continue to expand throughout the second half of the year.

That progression carried straight into Tow-In. In Naxos, she showed a real glimpse of her potential in the discipline, taking the win with a composed and consistent performance. While Maaike’s injury reshaped the final, Lisa still made her own statement, locking in clean Funnels and showing a willingness to get creative, even throwing Foivos-style Cana Brava attempts into the mix, showing that her Tow-In game is just as serious as her traditional fin game.

Elena Dominick

Severne

While her last FPT outing didn’t fall the way she’d hoped, missing out on the Tow-In finals in Naxos, Elena Dominick is far more than capable of putting together a strong Tow-In performance when it counts. We’ve seen that level before. At last year’s Boot Invitational, her Spocks pushed Maaike Huvermann all the way in the finals, proving she’s more than comfortable performing under pressure. Add a German home crowd into the mix, and that confidence only grows.

Her results at the German Freestyle Battles during SurfFestival last year only back that up. Elena took victories in both fin freestyle and Tow-In, a clear reminder that she has the abilities to challenge at the top. The question heading into Boot is simple: can she put it all together once again and take the fight straight back to the front of the women’s fleet?

Živa Batis

GUNSAILS

Still new to the Tow-In discipline, Boot 2026 will mark her first official Tow-In event on the Freestyle Pro Tour, with her previous appearances in Sardinia and Naxos taking place in unofficial contests while waiting for fin forecasts.

Those outings, however, offered a clear glimpse into her approach. Sardinia served as a testing ground, where Ziva focused on getting comfortable with the discipline and finding her rhythm behind the ski. By Naxos, things had already stepped up a gear, with consistent Funnels, experiments with pops into Double Funnels, and even some regular-stance Bob attempts, all pointing to a rider eager to push beyond the basics.

Still early in her Tow-In journey, Ziva arrives at Boot with little pressure and plenty of room to play. And given how often she’s surprised in the past, it’s not something to rule out again at this year’s edition of the event.

The stage is set and the pool is waiting, and there’s no room to hide indoors. The Boot Düsseldorf Tow-In Invitational kicks off on January 23rd and runs through January 25th, and if history is anything to go by, the level will only keep rising.

Buckle up, this one’s going to be special.