The professional surfing world championship tour launches its historic 50th season this week, beginning at the legendary Bells Beach in Australia before embarking on a globe-spanning journey that will end at Hawaii’s famous Banzai Pipeline in December.
The World Surf League’s championship circuit will visit 12 locations across nine nations, starting with the opening rounds that will include complete fields of 36 male competitors and 24 female surfers. Competition will intensify as the season progresses, with the field condensing to 24 men and 16 women for the final two regular season events that will decide who advances to compete for world titles.
The 2026 WSL Championship Tour schedule includes:
April 1-11: Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia
April 16-26: Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia
May 1-11: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
May 15-25: Raglan, New Zealand
June 5-15: Punta Roca, El Salvador
June 19-27: Saquarema, Brazil
August 8-18: Teahupo’o, Tahiti
August 25-September 4: Cloudbreak, Fiji
September 11-20: Lower Trestles, California, USA
October 14-18: Surf Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (marking the end of regular season and beginning of post-season)
October 22-November 1: Peniche, Portugal
December 8-20: Pipe Masters, Hawaii, USA
The season finale at the Pipe Masters will reunite the complete championship tour fields with post-season qualifiers, with points awarded at 1.5 times their normal value for the climactic event.
