The World Surf League (WSL) has officially released the highly anticipated 2025 Championship Tour (CT) schedule, promising an exhilarating year ahead for the world’s top surfers. With a blend of iconic surf destinations and exciting new locations, this year’s tour is set to be a thrilling showcase of elite surfing talent. From the legendary Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii to the state-of-the-art Surf Abu Dhabi in the UAE, the 2025 Championship Tour will traverse nine countries and feature 11 regular-season events, capped off by a spectacular finale at Cloudbreak, Fiji.
Iconic Locations and New Additions
The 2025 WSL Championship Tour kicks off on January 27 at the Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii, a spiritual home of surfing known for its powerful waves and epic barrels. The tour then makes its way to Surf Abu Dhabi in the UAE, marking its debut on the CT calendar. This groundbreaking venue features the world’s largest and longest human-made wave, developed by the Kelly Slater Wave Company. It’s an exciting addition that showcases the evolution of surfing, blending cutting-edge technology with the sport’s natural essence.
Next, the tour heads to Europe for the legendary breaks of Peniche, Portugal, followed by a stop at Punta Roca in El Salvador, known for its consistent right-hand point break. The tour then returns to familiar grounds with Australia’s three-stop leg: Bells Beach in Victoria, the ever-popular Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast, and the rugged coastline of Margaret River in Western Australia. This segment will be crucial, as it concludes with the Mid-season Cut, reducing the field of competitors for the remaining events.
Return of Iconic Stops: Snapper Rocks, Jeffreys Bay, and Lower Trestles
After a five-year break, Snapper Rocks makes a much-anticipated return to the Championship Tour. Known for its long, peeling right-handers, this iconic Gold Coast break has been a favourite for surfers and fans alike. Its reappearance alongside other legendary locations like Lower Trestles in California and Jeffreys Bay in South Africa adds significant excitement to the 2025 schedule.
Lower Trestles, often hailed as one of the best high-performance waves, has been the venue for the WSL Finals since 2021. This year, however, it shifts back to being a regular-season event. It will be followed by Jeffreys Bay, where the iconic Supertubes provide perfect, fast-breaking waves that have historically delivered some of the most memorable performances in surfing.
The Road to Cloudbreak: A New Destination for the WSL Finals
For the first time ever, the WSL Finals will be held at Cloudbreak in Fiji, an iconic surf spot known for its long left-hand waves and deep barrels. This new venue is set to provide a dramatic backdrop for the winner-takes-all format, where the Top 5 surfers will battle for the coveted World Title. The move to Cloudbreak marks a significant shift, as it is the first time the finals have moved location since the event’s inception in 2021 at Lower Trestles.
WSL CEO Ryan Crosby shared his excitement, saying, “We’ve built this schedule to include a variety of breaks, returning some of the tour’s most desirable locations. Aligning dates with favourable swell windows opens up more opportunities for quality surf. We can’t wait to kick off in January 2025. See you at Pipe!”
An Exciting Mix of Regular-Season Events
With stops at Teahupo’o in Tahiti, known for its massive, heavy barrels, and Saquarema in Brazil, the 2025 tour offers an incredible mix of waves that will test every aspect of a surfer’s skill set. Teahupo’o, the venue for the 2024 Paris Olympics, serves as the final regular-season event before the tour heads to Cloudbreak for the ultimate showdown.
Other exciting venues include Peniche’s Supertubos, with its powerful beach breaks, and Punta Roca, where a shift in the schedule aligns the event with a prime swell window, promising thrilling displays of skill on its famed right-handers.
Where will you catch the 2025 World Surf League Championship Tour
The 2025 Championship Tour Schedule is packed with action, excitement, and plenty of opportunities for surfers to prove their mettle across a variety of waves—from heavy-water barrels to pristine point breaks. Surfing enthusiasts can look forward to witnessing the world’s best surfers push their limits and deliver unforgettable performances on their quest for the World Title.
Get ready, the countdown to January 2025 has begun!
| Stop. | Location | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii, USA | January 27 – February 8 | |
| 2 | Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE | February 14 – 16 | |
| 3 | Peniche, Portugal | March 15 – 25 | |
| 4 | Punta Roca, El Salvador | April 2 – 12 | |
| 5 | Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia | April 18 – 28 | |
| 6 | Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia | May 3 – 13 | |
| 7 | Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia | May 17 – 27 | Mid-season Cut after this stop |
| 8 | Lower Trestles, California, USA | June 9 – 17 | |
| 9 | Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | June 21 – 29 | |
| 10 | Jeffreys Bay, South Africa | July 11 – 20 | |
| 11 | Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia | August 7 – 16 | WSL Final 5s determined for World Titles |
| 12 | WSL Finals – Cloudbreak, Fiji | August 27 – September 4 | Final event to determine World Champions |
