In the presentation of the new competition, the WSL general manager, Bill Sharp, on Wednesday said he promises a show that the whole world will appreciate.

Sharp said that the village has gone from a pleasant place to spend the summer to become the centre of the world for giant waves.

"Today, Nazaré is like what the northern coast of Hawaii was in the 70s. This is where we find the best surfers, who are looking for the biggest and best waves to surf. It will be a spectacle that the whole world will enjoy and will grow in the coming years," he said.

The Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge begins on Friday and runs until 31 March 2020. For five months, 10 teams of international surfers will be in Nazaré.

WSL's director for Europe, Francisco Spínola, also has high hopes for the new competition, which is the natural evolution of what we have done in recent years.

Nic vo Rupp, António Silva, Alex Botelho and Hugo Vau will be the Portuguese present at the competition, with Botelho and Vau representing the 'Portugal team'.

"It is the culmination of many years of work. We have always represented the country at the highest level, and we are two representatives who are equal to the challenge,” said Hugo Vau.

Alex Botelho said he believes that the new competition model will help more people to get to know Nazaré because the media coverage will be increased.

And as for the result, Botelho assured that Portugal, at least in terms of fun, will come first.