What is the WSL Championship Tour?
The Championship Tour is surfing's world tour — the lineage of the 1976 IPS and the ASP, rebranded the World Surf League in 2015 — roughly ten stops from Pipeline's winter walls through Teahupo'o to the season Finals at Cloudbreak, Fiji. Yago Dora and Molly Picklum won the 2025 world titles there; the 2026 Finals follow this September.[1] [2]
| Season | Pool / Format | Host cities |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Yago Dora (BRA) · Molly Picklum (AUS) | Finals at Cloudbreak, Fiji — first titles for both |
| 2024 | John John Florence (HAW) · Caitlin Simmers (USA) | Finals at Trestles — Florence's 3rd, Simmers at 18 |
| 2023 | Filipe Toledo (BRA) · Caroline Marks (USA) | Trestles |
| 2022 | Filipe Toledo (BRA) · Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) | Gilmore's record 8th title |
| 2021 | Gabriel Medina (BRA) · Carissa Moore (HAW) | First Finals-format titles |
| 2019 | Italo Ferreira (BRA) · Carissa Moore (HAW) | Decided at Pipeline |
| 2018 | Gabriel Medina (BRA) · Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) | |
| 2017 | John John Florence (HAW) · Tyler Wright (AUS) | |
| 2016 | John John Florence (HAW) · Tyler Wright (AUS) | |
| 2015 | Adriano de Souza (BRA) · Carissa Moore (HAW) |
World champions (men · women) of the last ten completed seasons.
How does it work?
The men's and women's fields surf every stop, rankings updating by event; the top five at season's end contest the Finals for the title. Beneath, the Challenger Series promotes and relegates — a published, point-scored pyramid — and wildcard slots keep the tour open to the sport's stories.[2] [3]
Why does it matter?
The CT is where world champions are made — Slater's eleven titles, the Brazilian Storm, Picklum's era — and a tour berth, among ~36 men and ~24 women on Earth, is professional surfing's defining credential.[1] [2]
References
- WSL — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- WSL — Championship Tour rankings. Accessed August 2026.
- WSL — Challenger Series. Accessed August 2026.