Surfing: WSL Championship Tour Field Is Locked In Ahead of Season Opener at Bells Beach

2026 Championship Tour Field Confirmed

The World Surf League has opened the gates on the 2026 Championship Tour, the Tour Field Is Locked in, and the WSL has confirmed the full competitor roster for the milestone 50th year of the global tour.

Three South African surfers are on the list: Jordy Smith, Luke Thompson, and Matt McGillivray, who gets the WSL replacement slot.

The season begins in classic fashion at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Presented by Bonsoy in Victoria, Australia, starting on 1 April 2026. From there the travelling circus of the world’s best surfers will wind its way across the planet before finishing where all good surfing stories eventually lead: Pipeline.

Bells Beach © WSL

Yes, the Lexus Pipe Masters returns as the final showdown of the year, and this time it comes with extra weight. Victories at Pipe will carry 1.5 times the normal points, meaning the world title race could very well come down to a single heavy-water performance on the North Shore.

The announcement came on Monday, 16 March, as the WSL locked in the official line-ups for what will be a combined 12-stop tour for both men and women.

A few tweaks are also in play this season. The women’s field expands for the early part of the year, the mid-season cut remains part of the equation, and the Pipe finale now sits as a proper crescendo rather than just another stop on the schedule.

Renato Hickel, WSL Vice President of Tours and Competition, summed it up simply.

“We’re happy to officially confirm the full field of Championship Tour competitors for the 2026 season.”

Behind those calm words sits a season of serious reshuffling.

The 2025–2026 Challenger Series

The 2025–2026 Challenger Series once again acted as the proving ground, sending a new wave of talent into the big leagues. When the dust settled, the 2026 roster featured nine rookies and eight returning surfers, a healthy mix of fresh energy and familiar names.

For South African surf fans there is a particularly satisfying addition. Luke Thompson joins the men’s Championship Tour line-up after earning his spot through the Challenger Series grind. Meanwhile fellow South African Matthew McGillivray has been named the WSL Replacement surfer for the first nine events of the season.

The structure of the tour adds another layer of strategy for competitors throughout the season.

The men’s field begins with 36 surfers, while the women’s field opens with 24 competitors. After the first nine events the mid-season cut reduces those numbers to 24 men and 16 women for Stops 10 and 11. When the tour rolls into Hawaii for the Lexus Pipe Masters, the full roster returns, setting the stage for the final points battle of the year.

The WSL also made a couple of forward-looking announcements. Johanne Defay has been awarded the league’s first-ever Maternity Wildcard for the 2027 Championship Tour season, while Tatiana Weston-Webb receives the 2027 Season Wildcard.

With the names now confirmed, the tour field is locked in and the countdown to Bells Beach officially begins.

Below is the full list of confirmed competitors for the 2026 Championship Tour.

Women’s 2026 Championship Tour qualifiers

Top 14 qualifiers from the 2025 Championship Tour rankings:

Top seven qualifiers from the 2025/2026 Challenger Series rankings:

WSL season wildcards:

Carissa Moore (HAW)
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)

Steph Gilmore © WSL

WSL replacement:

Men’s 2026 Championship Tour qualifiers

Top 22 qualifiers from the 2025 Championship Tour rankings:

Top 10 qualifiers from the 2025/2026 Challenger Series rankings:

WSL season wildcards:

WSL replacement: