"With the updated formats, we’ll see higher stakes from day one, with every heat carrying real consequence throughout the season."
The 2025 World Surf League Championship Tour is not yet over. Teahupo’o is the only event remaining before the “Final Five” head to Fiji to battle for the crown. Exciting days ahead for all, save Filipe Toledo, surf fans licking chops in anticipation. The World Surf League, though, added even more excitement with a delicious hors d’oeuvres. The official ’26 CT schedule.
Per the presser:
Today, the World Surf League (WSL) released the schedule for the 2026 Championship Tour (CT) and shared the new event formats. Marking the 50th year of professional surfing, the combined men’s and women’s calendar, which includes an increased women’s field, will feature 12 events in total. Nine regular-season stops and two postseason events will culminate in a revitalized Pipe Masters that will close the season with a high-stakes, all-inclusive finale.
“These changes reflect our commitment to honoring surfing’s legacy while continuing to shape its future as the sport enters its 50th year,” said Ryan Crosby, WSL CEO. “With the updated formats, we’ll see higher stakes from day one, with every heat carrying real consequence throughout the season. Combined with iconic locations, the expanded women’s field, and Pipeline as the pinnacle, we’re building a Tour that better serves our athletes and fans, and leads the sport into its next chapter.”
2026 Championship Tour Schedule
Stop No. 1 – Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: April 1 – 11
Stop No. 2 – Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: April 17 – 27
Stop No. 3 – Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia: May 2 – 12
Stop No. 4 – Punta Roca, El Salvador: May 28 – June 7
Stop No. 5 – Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: June 12 – 20
Stop No. 6 – Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: July 10 – 20
Stop No. 7 – Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia: August 8 – 18
Stop No. 8 – Cloudbreak, Fiji: August 25 – September 4
Stop No. 9 – Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif., USA: September 11 – 20*
Stop No. 10 – Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE: October 14 – 18**
Stop No. 11 – Peniche, Portugal: October 22 – November 1
Stop No. 12 – Banzai Pipeline, Hawaiʻi, USA: December 8 – 20***
*Last regular-season event
**Start of postseason, reduced field
**Full CT fields rejoin postseason surfers to compete for Pipe Masters Titles
Thoughts?
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Be a stronger tour with 4 events removed
Just to make things interesting how bout the top 2 at the end of the circuit surf off in the saudi wave pool and the loser gets the rolled up carpet prize..
who the hell is gonna watch that 1st round ?
nothing like a 3ft tub wave and awindy closeout to sort out the rankings for the run in to the pipeline
Fuck yeah! Can’t wait for Penichě!!!
Go Luana!
Bring back a Rip Curl Search type event with a new or rotating location every year in places like Morocco, Peru, Mexico, France or Indonesia and the WSL would be looking more like the ASP “Dream Tour” days of yore –
I’ll save that trick for something a lil’ bigger.
Tucked up in the arm pit of gulf of America .. This guy and cousin are pumping out “gems of stoke”.
WSL presented by a government tourism body near you.
Couple more rights to start would be good.
1. Boring
2. Boring
3. Boring
4. Boring
5. Boring
6. Okay if sharks and no conflicting Tyler interview
7. Exciting Danger!
8. Good if huge and they don’t cancel
9. Boring af
10. Boring as gay robots jacking each other off
11. Mondo closeouts. Boring
12. Fuck yeah
Xox
I believe Elon owns Boring.
And there’s no money involved !
Listicle!!
Comprehensive!
Xox
With such a long off season everyone will have forgotten that professional surfing exists by April 2026.
7 month break.
taking bets on who will come back fat as……and who will get pregnant
excluding BG commenters
Almost enough time for Gabby to fit in a marriage and divorce.
It’s all a step in the right direction but why the fuck a reduced field for 2 events?
Oh my goodness, the waves were comic book playful fun this morning. Slight offshores. Max 2 foot sets but juicy little runners. Clear crisp water about 16C. I didn’t have much time so I ran out (super low tide) in boardies and a rashy to snag a few.
Fricken awesome. I feel like a million bucks.
<3<3
I’ll have what he’s havin’!
Did you have little doodle hehe. Mine is a button in the cold.
Xox
Peniche can get stuffed, Slavepool can get cnted
Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t the original tour based of the F1 season. No stupid finale, just the championship decided, rightly, by who had accumulated the most points over the season. Then ELO came and ruined everything by trying to make surfing fit more closely with American sports which have a grand finale! I thought, incorrectly that the WSL had seen this move as a grave error and was going back to the original system, but alas, ELO’s legacy endures with a “postseason”. So fucking lame!
It sorta does. The post-season is two events that help determine seeding at Pipe and carry points. But, the full CT field returns to compete at Pipe. Honestly, it doesn’t make much sense in the current form. But if it opens the way toward a couple of comps at more epic locations in the future, that could be cool.
They all go to Pipe?! These cunts are on crack. Just making up random shit now.
Xox
Oh, totally. Same as it ever was lol
gotta make room for more women’s heats.
Somewhat buried the lede: non-elimination heats are gone!
Instead we have a first round of…four heats of surfers no-one wants to watch
The higher ups are seeded into the second round?
Xox
Yeah, seems so. Might work?
Fuck yeah. Let the peasants speed things up!
Xox
Can’t wait for Dubai 26 coverage!
Don’t know if I care anymore.. They are opening a pool with in blocks of the Llama compound. Trying to convince myself I should work harder and surf it regularly to dial my equipment in as much as possible .. fins, rocker, rails, and dimensions and make another go at surfing good again.. Thoughts?
Also just finished my afternoon cup of tea. Love tea with honey! On a pickle pickling binge of late the Llama garden is pumping out average cock sized cucumbers daily.. Need a good pickle recipe?
Don’t use a tub to dial in equipment. It’s not the same as surfing in the ocean. The hydrodynamics are way different.
As someone who has regained the froth at age 54, I wholeheartedly endorse your journey towards the surf again. Dunno about the Nocean, however. Those things scream bad karma for some reason. Like eating McDonald’s instead of a home-cooked bolognaise or the neighbour’s fresh tamales.
Born in ’70 so got you by a year. Froth comes back as soon as a Hurricane shows face or Big Nor’Easter. Its the in-between that lowers the level. The surf has been super shit! Been working hard with the hands sweating my ass off down to 178.8 lb w/ trunks. Flying on the pickle ball court, doing fine in Martial Arts class.. Got to Hawaii this pass March did fine held my own for aging east coaster. Little hesitant the morning of solid 10′ plus swell. Watched for 7;30-9:30 am and then had a go. Surf till dark with final finally paddling a local in whom detached a tendon from shoulder or chest leaving him with one good arm to paddle; after getting tossed while trying to paddle over a solid set that pushed the average wave height 1.5 times. Defiantly trying hard the fat lady is warming up and about to go on stage. Got to get to it dearest ChannelBottom..
So much pickle
llama, llama, llama, surf-a- llama rama…..
would you like another comma?
Dear Camper a’llama,
Llama llama lama never surf Jalama. Met Sean Slater a’ llama last night. About as close to the Goat a’ llama as I’ll ever get..
…but do you know Bud Lamas?
It’s a great sport and the south sea islanders who originated in India have helped make something special for us all to immerse ourselves within.