World Surf League Announces 2023 Championship Tour Schedule

Season Starts on January 29 at the World-famous Banzai Pipeline
Surf Ranch Pro Returns as CT Stop No. 6 Following Mid-Season Cut
Lower Trestles Announced as 2023 Rip Curl WSL Finals Location
2023 CT Will Determine 18 Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers

Pictured: The 2023 Rip Curl WSL Finals will return to Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Calif. Credit: © WSL

LOS ANGELES, Calif., USA (Monday, September 19, 2022) – Today, the World Surf League (WSL) announced the schedule for the 2023 Championship Tour (CT). The calendar marks the second full year of the WSL’s redesigned Tours and Competitions framework, which features a fully combined men’s and women’s schedule, 10 regular-season events, a Mid-season Cut after CT Stop No. 5, and the third-annual Rip Curl WSL Finals. The 2023 CT season will also be the top qualification route for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“We are proud of the new framework we’ve developed and seen play out over the course of this season with great success,” said Jessi Miley-Dyer, SVP of Tours and Head of Competition. “The 2023 schedule provides the best possible platform and will continue to drive the world’s best surfing. Seeing the women return to Tahiti for the first time in 16 years in August was incredible, and I’m proud to confirm that 2023 will continue to see equal events, venues, and prize money with this fully combined schedule.”

“Following the incredible momentum and milestones we’ve hit in 2022, we will continue to build our global platform to progress and elevate professional surfing,” said Erik Logan, WSL CEO. “We experienced the redesign in its entirety for the first time this year, and we will further strengthen the sport through next year’s fully-combined Championship Tour, which will also qualify the first 18 athletes for the 2024 Olympic Games.”

Pictured: 2022 World Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA), winner of the 2021 Surf Ranch Pro. Credit: © WSL / Nolan

The 2023 CT will include 10 regular-season events in seven countries, starting in January for the Billabong Pro Pipeline. The Mid-season Cut will come into action following the Margaret River Pro, Stop. No. 5. The WSL CT will return to the Surf Ranch, the world’s largest high performance, human-made wave 100 miles from the ocean in Lemoore, Calif., as the sixth stop on the calendar. The 2023 Rip Curl WSL Finals will be held in Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Calif., where the men’s and women’s Top 5 surfers will face off for the World Titles.

2023 WSL Championship Tour Schedule:

Billabong Pro Pipeline (Hawaii): January 29 – February 10
Hurley Pro Sunset Beach (Hawaii): February 12 – 23
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal (Portugal): March 8 – 16
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach (Australia): April 4 – 14
Margaret River Pro (Australia): April 20 – 30

Mid-season Cut: 36-man and 18-woman fields reduced to 24-man and 12-woman fields.

Surf Ranch Pro (USA): May 27 – 28
Surf City El Salvador Pro presented by Corona (El Salvador): June 9 – 18
Rio Pro presented by Corona (Brazil): June 23 – July 1
Corona Open J-Bay (South Africa): July 13 – 22
SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro (French Polynesia): August 11 – 20

WSL Final 5 determined to battle for the men’s and women’s World Titles.

Rip Curl WSL Finals (Lower Trestles, USA): September 7 – 15

Pictured: The break for the final event of the 2023 regular CT season, Teahupo’o, is also confirmed to host the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Credit: © WSL / Poullenot

2023 Championship Tour Is Top Qualification Avenue for Paris 2024 Olympic Games

The 2023 WSL CT is the top of the hierarchy in the Olympic qualification system for the world’s best surfers. The WSL CT rankings at the end of the 2023 season, starting at the Billabong Pro Pipeline and ending at the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, will determine the 18 of 48 spots at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (10 men and 8 women). Learn more about Olympic qualification (include hyperlink to WSL explainer).

With the 2022 CT season wrapped, witnessing Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and Filipe Toledo (BRA) claim the World Titles, professional surfing now focuses on the 2022 Challenger Series, where surfers are competing for the opportunity to make the 2023 CT. The next stop on the 2022 Challenger Series will be the EDP Vissla Pro Ericeira, which opens on October 1 and holds a competition window through October 9, 2022.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

About the WSL
The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning the undisputed World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves. WSL is comprised of the Tours and Competition division, which oversees and operates more than 180 global competitions each year; WSL WaveCo, home of the world’s largest high-performance, human-made wave; and WSL Studios, an independent producer of unscripted and scripted projects.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.