2026 World Surf League
| 2026 World Surf League | |
|---|---|
| Location | Australia, El Salvador, Brazil, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Fiji, United States, United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Hawaii |
| Dates | April 1st 2026 – December 20th 2026 |
The 2026 World Surf League is the 49th season of all iterations of the tour circuit for professional surfers. Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach will be the first round of the tour.[1]
After five seasons, for the first time since 2019, the competition format has changed. Starting in the 2026 season, the WSL Finals will no longer be held to decide the champion. The competition format will return to a points system, with the last event of the season returning to the iconic waves of Pipeline.[2]
Yago Dora and Molly Picklum are the defending champions from the 2025 season.[3][4] 36 men and 24 women are set to compete in the 2026 Champtionship Tour.[5]
In November 2025, the WSL announced that the 2026 Tour will see the return of four former world champions: Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore in the women's tour, and Gabriel Medina and John John Florence in the men's tour. All four will receive WSL CT Season Wildcards for 2026.[6][7] In January 2026, John John Florence announced that he had ultimately decided to defer his CT return until 2027.[8] The wildcard spot previously given to John John Florence was subsequently awarded to Ramzi Boukhiam, who missed the last three 2025 CT events prior to the Cut in 2025 due to a serious injury sustained during competition at Bells Beach.
The 2026 Championship Tour will span nine months and visit nine countries, with 12 events scheduled. The lineup includes a range of wave types-from barreling reef breaks like Pipeline, Cloudbreak, and Teahupo'o to performance-oriented locations such as Lower Trestles, Punta Roca, and Abu Dhabi. The schedule also features well-known stops like Snapper Rocks, Margaret River, Portugal, Saquarema, and opens at Bells Beach.[9]
The 2026 CT will include twelve events in nine countries and will be following a new format that differs from those of previous years. Under the new system, the 36 men and 24 women will compete in nine "regular-season" events, at which point the competition will be narrowed to 24 men and 16 women for the final two "postseason" events, during which competitors will be given the opportunity to accumulate more points. Surfers will carry only their best seven of nine results from the regular season into the next stage. For the first time in 5 years, there will be no mid-season cut.[10]
The nine "regular-season" events and two "postseason" events will be followed by a reimagined Pipe Masters on the North Shore of O'ahu, Hawai'i as the twelfth and final event of the tour, which will now award 15,000 points, 1.5 times more than a standard CT event.[11][12] The full 2026 men's and women's CT fields from the start of the season will rejoin the postseason competitors to compete in this final event.
The final season rankings, and ultimately the World Titles, will be determined by a surfer's best nine of 12 results.
In another major change from previous years, elimination rounds have also been removed, meaning that if an athlete loses their first round heat at a given event, they will be eliminated from that event.[13] According to WSL CEO Ryan Crosby, this change is intended to create "higher stakes from day one, with every heat carrying real consequence throughout the season."[14] Under the new system, there will instead be a qualifying round, where the lower-seeded surfers will compete to face the higher-seeded athletes in the main event.[15] For the men, seeds 29-36 will take part in the qualifying event, while the top 28 seeded athletes will move straight to the second round. For women, seeds 9-24 will take part in the qualifying rounds.
Qualified athletes
The first nine events of the 2026 Championship Tour will be contested by the WSL top 36 men and top 24 women. In November 2024, the WSL announced an expansion of the number of female participants in the 2026 World Championship Tour (CT), increasing the roster from 18 to 24 surfers.[16]
The top 36 men consist of:
- The top 22 finishers from the 2025 Championship Tour rankings
- The top 10 finishers on the 2025 Challenger Series rankings
- Two WSL season wildcards
- Two event wildcards
The top 24 women consist of:
- The top 14 finishers on the 2025 Championship Tour rankings
- The top 7 finishers on the 2025 Challenger Series rankings
- Two WSL season wildcards
- One event wildcard
The first nine events will include 36 men and 24 women. After that, the field will be reduced to 24 men and 16 women for the final two postseason events in Abu Dhabi and Portugal. The top-ranked surfers will automatically requalify for the 2027 CT, as well as continue on to the second half of the Tour, where they will be joined by one men's and one women's season-long wildcard, and one men's and one women's event wildcard.*
2026 Championship Tour qualifiers
Schedule
The 2026 Championship Tour brings some changes to the calendar. All stages from last season will continue in 2026, with only the order of events changing. The Australian leg that closed the mid-season cut is now the first three events of the CT.[17] The first nine events define the regular CT season, while Abu Dhabi and Portugal are part of the Postseason. Unlike in recent years, the WSL Finals is no longer the last event of the year. The Pipeline Masters is once again the event where the 2026 world champions will be decided.[18]
| Round | Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 1–11 | Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach | Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia |
| 2 | April 17–27 | Western Australia Margaret River Pro | Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia |
| 3 | May 2–12 | Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| 4 | May 15-25 | Raglan | Raglan, New Zealand |
| 5 | June 5-15 | Surf City El Salvador Pro | Punta Roca, La Libertad, El Salvador |
| 6 | June 19-27 | VIVO Rio Pro | Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 7 | August 8–18 | Lexus Tahiti Pro | Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 8 | August 25 – September 4 | Corona Fiji Pro | Cloudbreak, Tavarua, Fiji |
| 9 | September 11-20 | Trestles Pro | Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California, United States |
| 10 | October 14–18 | Surf Abu Dhabi Pro | Hudayriat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| 11 | October 22 – November 1 | MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal | Supertubos, Peniche, Portugal |
| 12 | December 8-20 | Lexus Pipe Pro | Banzai Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii |
Results and standings
Event results
| Round | Event | Men's champion | Men's runner-up | Women's champion | Women's runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach | ||||
| 2 | Western Australia Margaret River Pro | ||||
| 3 | Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro | ||||
| 4 | Raglan, New Zealand | ||||
| 5 | Surf City El Salvador Pro | ||||
| 6 | VIVO Rio Pro | ||||
| 7 | Lexus Tahiti Pro | ||||
| 8 | Corona Fiji Pro | ||||
| 9 | Lexus Trestles Pro | ||||
| 10 | Surf Abu Dhabi Pro | ||||
| 11 | MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal | ||||
| 12 | Lexus Pipe Pro |
Men's standings
Points are awarded using the following structure:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 5th | 9th | 17th | 33rd | INJ | WTD | PAR | DNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 10,000 | 7,800 | 6,085 | 4,745 | 3,320 | 1,330 | 265 | 265 | 265 | 265 | 0 |
| Position | +/- | Surfer |
WCT 1 |
WCT 2 |
WCT 3 |
WCT 4 |
WCT 5 |
WCT 6 |
WCT 7 |
WCT 8 |
WCT 9 |
WCT 10 |
WCT 11 |
WCT 12 |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yago Dora (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 2 | Griffin Colapinto (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 3 | Jordy Smith (RSA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 4 | Ítalo Ferreira (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 5 | Jack Robinson (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 6 | Ethan Ewing (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 7 | Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 8 | Filipe Toledo (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 9 | Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 10 | Cole Houshmand (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 11 | Barron Mamiya (HAW) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 12 | Connor O'Leary (JPN) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 13 | Miguel Pupo (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 14 | Jake Marshall (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 15 | Crosby Colapinto (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 16 | Marco Mignot (FRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 17 | João Chianca (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 18 | Joel Vaughan (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 19 | Alan Cleland (MEX) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 20 | Rio Waida (INA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 21 | Seth Moniz (HAW) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 22 | Alejo Muniz (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 23 | Kauli Vaast (FRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 24 | Eli Hanneman (HAW) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 25 | Morgan Cibilic (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 26 | George Pittar (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 27 | Samuel Pupo (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 28 | Callum Robson (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 29 | Luke Thompson (RSA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 30 | Oscar Berry (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 31 | Mateus Herdy (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 32 | Liam O'Brien (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 33 | Gabriel Medina (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 34 | Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| WC | Dane Henry (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
- Event wildcard surfers do not receive points. Their results on each event are indicated on the above table but no ranking points are awarded.
Women's standings
Points are awarded using the following structure:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 5th | 9th | 17th | INJ | WTD | PAR | DNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 10,000 | 7,800 | 6,085 | 4,745 | 2,610 | 1,045 | 1,045 | 1,045 | 1,045 | 0 |
| Position | +/- | Surfer |
WCT 1 |
WCT 2 |
WCT 3 |
WCT 4 |
WCT 5 |
WCT 6 |
WCT 7 |
WCT 8 |
WCT 9 |
WCT 10 |
WCT 11 |
WCT 12 |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Molly Picklum (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 2 | Caroline Marks (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 3 | Gabriela Bryan (HAW) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 4 | Caitlin Simmers (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 5 | Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 6 | Isabella Nichols (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 7 | Tyler Wright (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 8 | Erin Brooks (CAN) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 9 | Lakey Peterson (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 10 | Luana Silva (BRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 11 | Sawyer Lindblad (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 12 | Vahine Fierro (FRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 13 | Bella Kenworthy (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 14 | Brisa Hennessy (CRC) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 15 | Tya Zebrowski (FRA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 16 | Yolanda Hopkins (POR) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 17 | Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 18 | Alyssa Spencer (USA) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 19 | Francisca Veselko (POR) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 20 | Nadia Erostarbe (Basque Country) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 21 | Anat Lelior (ISR) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 22 | Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | |
| 23 | Carissa Moore (HAW) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
- Event wildcard surfers do not receive points. Their results on each event are indicated on the above table but no ranking points are awarded.
See also
- 2026 ISA World Surfing Games
References
- ^ "2026 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach". World Surf League. 19 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "World Surf League Announces Return to Pipeline for Championship Tour Finale Starting in 2026". World Surf League. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "Molly Picklum, Yago Dora Win First World Titles in Historic Cloudbreak Surf". SURFER Magazine. 2 September 2025.
- ^ "Molly Picklum wins first world surfing title with dominant display at WSL Finals". The Guardian. 2 September 2025.
- ^ "World Surf League revamps Championship Tour format, putting Pipe Masters in the spotlight". NBC Sports. 2 May 2025.
- ^ "Stephanie Gilmore Set For Championship Tour Return in 2026". World Surf League. 19 November 2025.
- ^ "Carissa Moore Announces Return to Championship Tour in 2026". World Surf League. 19 November 2025.
- ^ "John John Florence Defers Return to Competition, Announces Year-Long Break". World Surf League. 27 January 2026.
- ^ "2026 Championship Tour Event Schedule". World Surf League. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "In 2026, the WSL Championship Tour is going back to the good old days". RedBull. 13 October 2025.
- ^ "World Champions Will Once Again Be Crowned At Pipeline". SURFER Magazine. 2 May 2025.
- ^ "Pipeline back as world surf tour finale in 2026". Reuters. 2 May 2025.
- ^ "World Surf League Announces Major Changes to World Tour Format in 2026". Hawaiian South Shore. 13 May 2025.
- ^ "World Surf League Makes Major Changes, 2026 Schedule Revealed". SURFER Magazine. 28 July 2025.
- ^ "A New Rule For The 2026 CT Season Puts Carissa, Steph, + John John At An Immediate Disadvantage". STAB Magazine. 25 November 2025.
- ^ "WSL Announces Expanded Women's Field for 2026 Championship Tour". World Surf League. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "Australia to host first three events of 2026 WSL Champions Tour". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 May 2025.
- ^ "WSL 2026 Championship Tour Schedule & Format Changes - Pipeline Finale Returns". boardcovers. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.