The World Surf League (WSL) has released the 2025 Championship Tour (CT) schedule.
The combined men’s and women’s calendar will feature 11 regular-season events, including the addition of Abu Dhabi and the return of Snapper Rocks, Lower Trestles, and Jeffreys Bay.
A new venue for the 2025 WSL Finals will see next year’s World Titles contested at Cloudbreak, Fiji.
After beginning on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, at surfing’s spiritual home of Pipeline, the 2025 CT visits locations old and new, taking in nine countries across 11 regular-season events and the WSL Finals.
The schedule continues to place the mid-season cut after Western Australia.
A full seven events will run before the reduced field competes for a spot in the Final 5 during the remaining four events.
“We’ve built this schedule to include more events and feature a variety of breaks,” said Ryan Crosby, WSL CEO.
“We’ve brought back some of the Tour’s most desirable locations, while aligning dates with favorable swell windows, to open up more opportunity for quality surf. We’ll see a great mix of locations from heavy-water barrels, to high-performance waves, and pristine point breaks. It’ll be an exciting showcase of the world’s best surfing featuring the incredible CT talent. We can’t wait to kick off in January 2025. See you at Pipe.”
2025 WSL Finals to be contested at Cloudbreak, Fiji
For the first time, Fiji’s legendary Cloudbreak will host the WSL Finals to determine the 2025 World Champions.
The one-day, winner-take-all format will see the men’s and women’s Top 5 surfers face off in the Pacific Ocean paradise.
The reef pass features a long left, known as much for its deep, heavy barrels as it is for its attackable critical sections.
It is the first time the WSL Finals has moved locations since its debut in 2021.
Iconic locations return to Championship Tour
The famed sandbank of Snapper Rocks returns after a five-year hiatus, offering its endlessly long right-hand point break to the CT once more.
It has hosted the opening event of the Challenger Series for the past three seasons and the wave, situated on Australia’s Gold Coast, has continued to showcase dynamic top-to-bottom surfing and mind-blowing barrels on the international stage.
Now, it will once again feature as part of a three-stop Australia leg that includes the historic Bells Beach event and the rugged coast of Margaret River, Western Australia.
Widely considered to be one of the best high-performance waves in the world, Southern California’s Lower Trestles has decided the World Champions since 2021.
Lowers last featured as a regular-season event in 2017 and reappears on the calendar as Stop No 8.
The many historic performances to come from the cobblestone-clad peak are highlighted by the World Title-winning moments delivered by Caitlin Simmers (USA) and John John Florence (HAW) in 2024.
Jeffreys Bay also makes a triumphant return to the height of competitive surfing in 2025.
South Africa’s crown jewel consistently delivers point-break perfection along the aptly named Supertubes.
Taking a season off to allow space for the Olympic Games, the iconic walls of J-Bay will be a welcomed return, as will the Paris 2024 venue of Teahupo’o, Tahiti, which follows as the last regular-season event.
Filling out the schedule are Portugal’s Supertubos, El Salvador’s Punta Roca, and Saquarema, Brazil.
A shift in the calendar to earlier in the year opens the El Salvador event to a more consistent swell window, increasing the chances of seeing Central America’s world-class wave light up with the freight-train barrels the right point-break is known for, in addition to its reputation as one of the most rippable waves on Tour.
Abu Dhabi to make its tour debut next season
The United Arab Emirates will appear on the CT calendar for the first time ever in 2025 when the CT heads to Abu Dhabi.
Featuring the groundbreaking technology from the Kelly Slater Wave Company, Surf Abu Dhabi is home to the world’s largest and longest human-made wave, as well as its most hollow barrel.
Located on Hudayriat Island, where the desert, the ocean, and the city meet.
It is also the only saltwater wave system in the world.
WSL Championship Tour schedule 2025
- Stop No. 1 – Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii, USA: January 27 – February 8
- Stop No. 2 – Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE: February 14 – 16
- Stop No. 3 – Peniche, Portugal: March 15 – 25
- Stop No. 4 – Punta Roca, El Salvador: April 2 – 12
- Stop No. 5 – Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: April 18 – 28
- Stop No. 6 – Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia: May 3 – 13
- Stop No. 7 – Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: May 17 – 27*
- Mid-Season Cut
- Stop No. 8 – Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California, USA: June 9 – 17
- Stop No. 9 – Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: June 21 – 29
- Stop No. 10 – Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: July 11 – 20
- Stop No. 11 – Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia: August 7 – 16**
- Stop No. 12 – WSL Finals – Cloudbreak, Fiji: August 27 – September 4
*Mid-season Cut reduces fields after Stop No 7
**WSL Final 5s determined to battle for the men’s and women’s world titles
