The 50th year of professional surfing will launch with three events in Australia, beginning with Victoria’s Bells Beach in a revamped World Surf League season.
The format has been updated to increase the number of women riders, remove non-elimination rounds, and end with an enlarged finale at Pipeline in Hawaii.
After Bells Beach, at the start of April, the 2026 season will move to Margaret River in Western Australia, then, in May, to Snapper Rocks in Queensland.
The circuit then goes overseas, taking in El Salvador, Brazil, South Africa, Tahiti, Fiji, California, Abu Dhabi and Portugal before the 12th and final event in Hawaii in December.
There, the full field will compete, with those eliminated after round nine returning.
The season will feature 36 men and 24 women, the latter an increase on this season’s 18, with the Tour narrowing to 24 men and 16 women for the post-season events in Abu Dhabi and Portugal.
The format for the initial nine regular-season events will feature 32 qualified men, two men’s season wildcards, and two men’s event wildcards; and 21 qualified women, two women’s season wildcards, and one women’s event wildcard.
“These changes reflect our commitment to honouring surfing’s legacy while continuing to shape its future as the sport enters its 50th year,” Ryan Crosby, chief executive of the WSL, said.
“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.”
The 2025 season has completed 10 of the 12 rounds in the championship.
Gosford’s Molly Picklum leads the women’s series after one first and two seconds in the last three rounds. Queensland’s Isabella Nichols is fourth and two-time world champion Tyler Wright is seventh.
Brazil’s Yago Dora leads the men’s event, with Queenslander Ethan Ewing and Margaret River’s Jack Robinson the best-placed Australians in fifth and eighth, respectively.
The next round is in Tahiti from August 7 with the WSL Finals in Fiji from August 27.
2026 Championship Tour schedule
- Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: April 1-11
- Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: April 17-27
- Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia: May 2-12
- Punta Roca, El Salvador: May 28-June 7
- Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: June 12-20
- Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: July 10-20
- Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia: August 8-18
- Cloudbreak, Fiji: August 25-September 4
- Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California, United States: September 11-20
- Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE: October 14-18
- Peniche, Portugal: October 22-November 1
- Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii, United States: December 8-20
AAP
