The World Surf League (WSL) has announced a significant overhaul of its Championship Tour (CT) format, effective 2026. The most notable change sees the iconic Pipe Masters in Hawaii returning as the season-ending event, replacing the controversial ‘Final 5’ surf-off. This move aims to crown world champions through a cumulative rankings format, culminating at surfing’s most revered location.
WSL Reimagines Championship Tour for 2026
Starting in 2026, the WSL Championship Tour will undergo a major transformation, marking the 50th year of professional surfing. The season will now run from April to December, commencing in Australia and concluding with the Pipe Masters in Hawaii. This shift addresses widespread feedback from surfers and fans, who largely favored a return to a season-long points race culminating at a historically significant venue.
Key Changes to the Championship Tour
- Pipeline as the Grand Finale: The Pipe Masters will serve as the final event of the season, where world champions will be crowned. This marks a return to tradition, as Pipeline previously hosted the men’s season finale until 2019. For the first time, it will also be the season-ending event for women.
- Scrapping the ‘Final 5’ Format: The one-day, winner-take-all surf-off, which determined champions from 2021-2025, has been eliminated. World titles will now be decided by a cumulative rankings format, emphasizing consistent performance throughout the season.
- Enhanced Points for Pipe Masters: To underscore its importance, the Pipe Masters will award 15,000 points, 1.5 times more than a standard CT event, making it the most consequential stop on the tour.
- Streamlined Competition: Non-elimination rounds have been removed from all CT events, ensuring higher stakes from the outset and optimizing for prime surfing conditions.
- Expanded Women’s Field: The women’s CT field will increase from 18 to 24 surfers, providing more opportunities and global representation.
- Revised Mid-Season Cut: The controversial mid-season cut has been softened. After nine regular-season events, the field will be narrowed from 36 men and 24 women to 24 men and 16 women for two ‘postseason’ events. The full fields will then rejoin for the Pipe Masters.
- Cumulative Ranking System: World champions will be determined by a surfer’s best nine results out of 12 events, combining seven of nine regular-season results with the two postseason events and the Pipe Masters.
The 2026 Championship Tour Schedule
The 12-stop tour will feature a global itinerary, designed to align with optimal swell periods:
- Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia
- Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia
- Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia
- Punta Roca, El Salvador
- Saquarema, Brazil
- Jeffreys Bay, South Africa
- Teahupo’o, Tahiti
- Cloudbreak, Fiji
- Lower Trestles, California, USA (End of regular season)
- Surf Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Postseason)
- Peniche, Portugal (Postseason)
- Pipe Masters, Hawaii, USA (Season Finale)
WSL CEO Ryan Crosby emphasized that these changes reflect a commitment to doing
Sources
- [World Surf League admits horrible mistake, drops "final five" and moves Pipeline back to season ender in ’26!
- BeachGrit](https://beachgrit.com/2025/05/world-surf-league-admits-horrible-mistake-drops-final-five-and-moves-pipeline-back-to-season-ender/), BeachGrit.
- Pipeline back as world surf tour finale in 2026, Reuters.
- Pipeline to return as WSL finale with one-day decider scrapped for 2026 | Surfing, The Guardian.
- World Surf League revamps Championship Tour format, putting Pipe Masters in the spotlight, NBC Sports.
- World Surf League Scraps Final 5 Format, Will End Season at Pipeline in 2026, The Inertia.
