Capitulo Perfeito at Desert Point: Late Withdrawals Open the Door For Ícaro Ronchi as Global Wildcard 

Indonesia, September 8, 2026 – Capitulo Perfeito has announced a late change to the surfer line-up for the Desert Point event, which runs tomorrow, Wednesday 9 September, in Lombok, Indonesia. 

In the past few days, Portugal’s Nic von Rupp confirmed his withdrawal, unable to reach Desert Point in time for the event. The vacancy passed, by seeding, to Bruno Santos — which in turn freed up the global wildcard originally awarded to him. The organisation has now reallocated it to Brazilian tube specialist Ícaro Ronchi. 

Nic von Rupp had entered the Surfers List as the replacement for Noah Beschen, runner-up at the 2025 Capitulo Perfeito in Carcavelos. With his withdrawal confirmed, the organisation went back to the principle that has governed the selection process from the outset: the 2025 ranking, in order of best score. Next on the list was Miguel Blanco, but the Portuguese surfer is in California and equally unable to make it to Desert Point in time. The seeding therefore moved to the following surfer, Bruno Santos, who was already in Lombok as a global wildcard. The organisation opted to grant him the qualified spot, and consequently leave his original wildcard available for reallocation.  

With Jakarta’s airport closed due to volcanic activity and the decision window down to a matter of days, the pool of eligible surfers — drawn from the 2025 field and from world-class tube riders who have shown interest in Capitulo Perfeito over the years — was quickly depleted by scheduling conflicts and the sheer logistics of reaching Indonesia. The wildcard went to Ícaro Ronchi, who is already in Lombok and whose surfing record holds exactly what Desert Point demands: countless hours in the barrel through the Mentawais, and a spot in the water for the heaviest tube sessions Indonesia has seen in recent years. 

“We originally decided to go with the seeding order and we followed it all the way through. Bruno was already here, he’s a former Capitulo Perfeito winner and he deserves the place the ranking gives him. That left us with an open global wildcard, and we wanted someone up to the standard of Desert Point. Ícaro isn’t a name for the general public, but he’s a surfer validated by the guys who are in the water. That’s exactly what Capitulo Perfeito has looked for since day one. This event was built around inviting surfers that the free surf and tube riding community knows and respects, whatever their media profile. Ícaro Ronchi coming in reinforces that commitment,” says Rui Costa, founder of Capitulo Perfeito. 

“Getting an invitation to the first ever surf event held at Desert Point couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s hard to even put into words how happy I am right now. Desert Point is my favourite wave in the world, and getting to surf it with only three other guys out is something that will probably never happen again. Congratulations to Capitulo Perfeito for making this happen and, above all, thank you for the opportunity. Now it’s about enjoying every second, giving my best and, who knows, maybe getting some of the best barrels of my life,” says Ícaro Ronchi. 

Ícaro joins Hawaii’s Makana Pang as second global wildcard, completing the Desert Point line-up with two surfers making their Capitulo Perfeito debut. 

Line-up & Format for Desert Point 

The remaining line-up is unchanged: four surfers qualified through the main event, two local talents and two global wildcards — Balaram Stack, Cam Richards, Pedro Calado and Bruno Santos (highest-ranked at the 2025 edition in Carcavelos); Sulaiman and Usman Trioko (local wildcards); Makana Pang and Ícaro Ronchi (global wildcards). 

In Lombok, the eight surfers face off across three stages. Round 1 and Round 2 are both non-elimination: the eight invitees are split into two heats of four, and every surfer participates in both rounds regardless of the first-round outcome. The four highest-scoring surfers advance straight to the Final. Every heat runs for 45 minutes. On the line: a direct-entry wildcard to Capitulo Perfeito 2027 in Carcavelos. 

At Desert Point, the wait is over. Watch all the action live at www.capituloperfeito.com/livestream. 

HEAT DRAW 

Round 1 & 2 | Heat 1: Usman, Makana Pang, Pedro Calado, Cam Richards

 

Round 1 & 2 I Heat 2: Sulaiman, Bruno Santos, Balaram Stack, Ícaro Ronchi