Miguel Pupo and Gabriela Bryan claimed maiden Bell victories at the 2026 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach — here’s the full recap and what it means for your Good Luck Out There fantasy team.
The 50th year of the World Tour kicked off with fireworks at Bells Beach, and the 2026 season has already served up one of its most memorable events. Miguel Pupo and Gabriela Bryan took home the victories, both ringing the Bell for the first time in their careers. World Surf League
Men’s: An All-Brazilian Final for the Ages
Nobody saw this coming. Well almost nobody. (Stellato took the league victory, smartly power surfing Gabriel Medina against a field of Ethan Ewing faithfuls.) But all six surfers who had previously won at Bells Beach were eliminated before the final, guaranteeing a first-time Bell ringer on the men’s side. Surfingvic What unfolded was a piece of history: the first all-Brazilian Bells final ever, and the first all-goofy-footed final in 33 years.
Reigning world champ Yago Dora reached the final in spectacular fashion. In the semis against Gabriel Medina, Dora and the 3x world champ traded the lead throughout the heat before Dora found the wave he needed with 40 seconds left — a rotation that earned him a 9.50, the highest score of the entire event. Was is warranted? Depends who you were rooting for I guess.
But in the final, it was the underdog who had the last word. Dora held a solid lead until Pupo found a gem under priority and unleashed his signature backhand power to post an excellent 8.10, claiming his maiden Bell. Pupo finished with 15.60 points to Dora’s 13.90, with Dora’s last-gasp wave scoring just 5.37. TMC
At 34 years old, it was only Pupo’s second CT victory — his first since Teahupo’o in 2022. Record People’s champ stuff.
Women’s: Bryan Announces Herself
Gabriela Bryan’s road to the title began with a powerful win over Luana Silva in the quarters, then Alyssa Spencer in the semis, before dispatching reigning world champion Molly Picklum in the final. Yardbarker Bryan finished with 14.83 points — a 7.83 and a 7.00 — while Picklum struggled for waves and could only manage 8.33. Sportbuzz
The loss saw Picklum surrender her yellow leader’s jersey to Bryan, who comes into Margaret River ranked world No. 1 — and as the defending champion at that very event. AAP News
Fantasy League Takeaways
For Good Luck Out There league players, Bells was a brutal one if you loaded up on past Bell winners or the Australian Army. The Brazilian Storm showed up in force — four Brazilian world champions won heats on the same day Surfingvic — but the one who rang the Bell was the veteran most people overlooked. If your team had Miguel Pupo, you’re sitting pretty heading into Margaret River. If you had Medina in the final, tough break — he still put together arguably the event’s most dominant single performance with the highest heat total before falling to Dora’s buzzer-beater.
Next up: WSL CT Stop 2 — Western Australia Margaret River Pro, April 16–26. Heavy surf, serious consequences. Fantasy preview coming this week. Good luck out there🤙