The World Surf League (WSL) is shaking things up for the 2026 Championship Tour. A big part of that fresh plan sees the tour’s Portuguese stop, held in Peniche, return to its classic late-season spot. This major change was announced this Monday. Surfing fans can mark their calendars for October 22 to November 1 next year to catch the action.
The WSL had hinted at these shifts in early May, revealing a series of adjustments to the Championship Tour’s format and calendar for 2026. The move of the Supertubos event back to the end of the season is a notable one. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the Peniche event had been pulled forward in the calendar. It was the third stop of the year since 2022, usually happening in March. Now, it’s heading back to the business end of the season.
Today, the full dates for the upcoming CT season were officially released. The tour kicks off with a three-event swing through Australia. Surfers will first hit the waves at Bells Beach from April 1 to April 11. Then, it’s on to Margaret River, where competition runs from April 17 to April 27. The Australian leg wraps up at Snapper Rocks, scheduled for May 2 to May 12.
After the Australian start, the tour continues its global journey. The regular season includes stops in El Salvador from May 28 to June 7, and Brazil from June 12 to June 20. Then comes South Africa, with events from July 10 to July 20. The tour heads to French Polynesia from August 8 to August 18, before landing at Lower Trestles in the United States from September 11 to September 20. For these regular season events, the men’s field will feature 36 surfers, and the women’s field will grow to 24, up from the current 16.
Things get even more intense for the two stages following the regular season. In the United Arab Emirates, from October 14 to October 18, and then in Peniche, the competitor list shrinks. It will be 24 men and 16 women battling it out. However, everyone gets a shot at the very last event of the year, held at the legendary Pipeline wave in Hawaii, United States.
Speaking of Pipeline, the Pipe Masters will now close out the season, a big shift from recent years when it often opened the tour. This iconic event will also carry more weight than ever before. It will award 15,000 points towards the world title, a significant jump from the usual 10,000. And get this: every single round at Pipeline will be an elimination heat. There will be no second chances, no repechage rounds after the opening heats.
Ryan Crosby, the CEO of the WSL, shared his thoughts on these major updates. “These changes show how committed we are to honoring surfing’s past,” Crosby explained. “At the same time, we’re building its future as the sport reaches its 50th year on the world circuit.”
He added, “With these new formats, every heat will matter more from day one. There will be real consequences all season long.” Crosby believes these changes, combined with classic surf spots, more women competing, and Pipeline as the grand finale, will make the tour better for both athletes and fans. “It’s really pushing the sport into its next exciting chapter,” he noted.
Meanwhile, back in the current 2025 season, the race for the title is heating up. After ten of the eleven regular tour stops, the Brazilian Yago Dora and Australia’s Molly Picklum are currently leading their respective circuits. The 2025 champions will ultimately be crowned at Cloudbreak, in Fiji.
