Latest news with #PipeMasters
Perth Now
28-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Bells boost amid massive surf shake-up
An expanded 2026 World Surf League season will start at the iconic Bells Beach, with more spots on the women's tour part of drastic changes for its 50th year. The mid-season cut has been ditched and a new finals system is set to crown the world champions. Bells Beach will again host the first of three Australian events, with a rejigged order moving Snapper Rocks after Margaret River, which has been the event where the mid-season cut has been made since its inception. The three Australian events will kick off the 12-event season, with nine regular-season stops and two post-season events before a revitalised Pipe Masters that will close the season with a high-stakes, all-inclusive finale. 'These changes reflect our commitment to honouring surfing's legacy while continuing to shape its future as the sport enters its 50th year,' WSL chief executive Ryan Crosby said. Jack Robinson celebrates bafter winning the final at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Cait Miers/World Surf League) Credit: Supplied 'With the updated formats, we'll see higher stakes from day one, with every heat carrying real consequence throughout the season. Combined with iconic locations, the expanded women's field, and Pipeline as the pinnacle, we're building a tour that better serves our athletes and fans and leads the sport into its next chapter.' As well as the schedule changes, with the WSL covering nine countries across nine months, the majority of the season will feature 36 men and 24 women. Then the tour will narrow to 24 men and 16 women after the ninth event at Lower Trestles in the US for two post-season events in Abu Dhabi and Portugal. Each surfer's best seven of nine results from the regular season will count towards their qualification for the post-season, while the final season rankings, and ultimately the world titles, will be determined by a surfer's best nine of 12 results. The cumulative full-season rankings that will determine the world champions will be heightened by the season closer at Pipeline, where the full 2026 men's and women's Championship Tour fields from the start of the season will all compete. That's a major shift from the top five who will contest a single day, winner-take-all event this year at Teahupo'o for the world title. Australian star Molly Picklum is currently the women's world No.1, with Ethan Ewing the highest-ranked Aussie male, at number five. Australia's Molly Picklum is world No.1 Thiago Diz/World Surf League Credit: Supplied 2026 Championship Tour schedule Stop No. 1 - Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: April 1 - 11 Stop No. 2 - Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: April 17 - 27 Stop No. 3 - Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia: May 2 - 12 Stop No. 4 - Punta Roca, El Salvador: May 28 - June 7 Stop No. 5 - Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: June 12 - 20 Stop No. 6 - Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: July 10 - 20 Stop No. 7 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia: August 8 - 18 Stop No. 8 - Cloudbreak, Fiji: August 25 - September 4 Stop No. 9 - Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif., USA: September 11 - 20* Stop No. 10 - Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE: October 14 - 18** Stop No. 11 - Peniche, Portugal: October 22 - November 1 Stop No. 12 - Banzai Pipeline, Hawaiʻi, USA: December 8 - 20*** *Last regular-season event **Start of postseason, reduced field **Full CT fields rejoin postseason surfers to compete for Pipe Masters Titles
News.com.au
28-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
World Surf League season will open at Bells Beach in 2026 with huge changes to the finals format
An expanded 2026 World Surf League season will start at the iconic Bells Beach, with more spots on the women's tour part of drastic changes for its 50th year. The mid-season cut has been ditched and a new finals system is set to crown the world champions. Bells Beach will again host the first of three Australian events, with a rejigged order moving Snapper Rocks after Margaret River, which has been the event where the mid-season cut has been made since its inception. The three Australian events will kick off the 12-event season, with nine regular-season stops and two post-season events before a revitalised Pipe Masters that will close the season with a high-stakes, all-inclusive finale. 'These changes reflect our commitment to honouring surfing's legacy while continuing to shape its future as the sport enters its 50th year,' WSL chief executive Ryan Crosby said. 'With the updated formats, we'll see higher stakes from day one, with every heat carrying real consequence throughout the season. Combined with iconic locations, the expanded women's field, and Pipeline as the pinnacle, we're building a tour that better serves our athletes and fans and leads the sport into its next chapter.' As well as the schedule changes, with the WSL covering nine countries across nine months, the majority of the season will feature 36 men and 24 women. Then the tour will narrow to 24 men and 16 women after the ninth event at Lower Trestles in the US for two post-season events in Abu Dhabi and Portugal. Each surfer's best seven of nine results from the regular season will count towards their qualification for the post-season, while the final season rankings, and ultimately the world titles, will be determined by a surfer's best nine of 12 results. The cumulative full-season rankings that will determine the world champions will be heightened by the season closer at Pipeline, where the full 2026 men's and women's Championship Tour fields from the start of the season will all compete. That's a major shift from the top five who will contest a single day, winner-take-all event this year at Teahupo'o for the world title. Australian star Molly Picklum is currently the women's world No.1, with Ethan Ewing the highest-ranked Aussie male, at number five. 2026 Championship Tour schedule Stop No. 1 - Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: April 1 - 11 Stop No. 2 - Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: April 17 - 27 Stop No. 3 - Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia: May 2 - 12 Stop No. 4 - Punta Roca, El Salvador: May 28 - June 7 Stop No. 5 - Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: June 12 - 20 Stop No. 6 - Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: July 10 - 20 Stop No. 7 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia: August 8 - 18 Stop No. 8 - Cloudbreak, Fiji: August 25 - September 4 Stop No. 9 - Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif., USA: September 11 - 20* Stop No. 10 - Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE: October 14 - 18** Stop No. 11 - Peniche, Portugal: October 22 - November 1 Stop No. 12 - Banzai Pipeline, Hawaiʻi, USA: December 8 - 20*** *Last regular-season event **Start of postseason, reduced field
ABC News
03-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Australia to host first three events of 2026 WSL Champions Tour
Australian surfers are the big winners in a revamped 2026 World Surf League (WSL) calendar that has axed the divisive finals day to decide the world champions. The WSL has announced a new schedule, pushing the Championship Tour back from a January start to kick off at Bells Beach in April. This is followed by events at Margaret River and Snapper Rocks, giving Australian surfers a flying start in their home breaks. Photo shows Female surfer speaking to media, smiling, prior to a surfing event Surfing legend Stephanie Gilmore has said the competitive fires are still burning as she prepares to return to the World Surf League this weekend on the Gold Coast. "I think kicking off the tour in Australia is a great way to start," WSL boss Ryan Crosby told AAP. "There's so many amazing and iconic waves in Australia, it was a really good opportunity for us to start the season here and we're excited to do that. "This change actually does a lot of things for us as it puts us into a lot of really good swell periods for all of our venues. "It also allows us to bring the European leg into October, which is a big help for us because that's a really good window for them so that'll be a big improvement. "Portugal will now be in a time of year when the wave will actually be better." ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. There are still 12 events, with the Pipe Masters in Hawaii held in December the tour finale, with a win in that event worth 15,000 points instead of the usual 10,000. The controversial mid-season cut has been softened, coming after the ninth tour stop at Lower Trestles in California, and that will be determined by a surfer's best seven results. The fields of 36 men and 24 women will then be narrowed to 24 men and 16 women for stops 10 and 11 before all surfers return for the iconic North Shore event, with the top eight seeded. Crosby said surfers were surveyed and represented by a new advisory council in discussions about the changes. "We were talking about what's the optimal form for the league and what do we want it to look like, and the answer that kept popping up for us was finishing at the world's most iconic wave," Crosby said. "We were listening to surfer feedback, to fan feedback — we spent a lot of time actually talking to the surfers." Jack Robinson celebrates winning the final at Bells Beach with fans. ( AAP: World Surf League/Ed Sloane ) West Australian Jack Robinson, who won at Bells Beach last month and has competed in the one-day finals over the three years its been held, backed crowning the world champion at Pipeline. "Pipeline is what it's all about — there's a reason so many people dedicate their lives to mastering it," he said in a statement. "Starting my 2023 season with a win at Pipe was huge, but I can only imagine how incredible it would be to end the season winning both the event and the world title there. "It's exciting to see the CT keep evolving, and I'm stoked the WSL is listening to feedback and working hard to make the tour better for everyone." World Surf League Champions Tour calendar 2026 Round 1: Bells Beach, Victoria Round 2: Margaret River, Western Australia Round 3: Snapper Rocks, Queensland Round 4: Punta Roca, El Salvador Round 5: Saquarema, Brazil Round 6: Jeffreys Bay, South Africa Round 7: Teahupo'o, Tahiti Round 8: Cloudbreak, Fiji Round 9: Lower Trestles, United States Start of post-season Round 10: Surf Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Round 11: Peniche, Portugal Round 12: Pipe Masters, Hawaii AAP The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
World Surf League revamps Championship Tour format, putting Pipe Masters in the spotlight
The World Surf League is changing its Championship Tour format, namely moving its most prestigious event, the Pipe Masters off Oahu's North Shore, from the beginning of the season to the end to determine annual world champions. Starting in 2026, the Pipe Masters will be a WSL season-ending event for the women for the first time. It was previously a season-ending event for the men through 2019. A women's WSL competition at Pipe Masters was first held in December 2020 at the start of the 2021 season. Advertisement Beginning with that 2021 campaign, the WSL shifted its season-long world title race to a one-day, surf-off event — the WSL Finals — for the top five men and women from the regular season. The new format starting next season, what the WSL bills as the 50th year of professional surfing, will be nine regular season events starting in April, two postseason events in Portugal and Abu Dhabi and then the Pipe Masters as the finale in December. "The 12-stop schedule welcomes a new evolution of the CT (Championship Tour), reimagined to meet the ambitions and momentum of surfing's next chapter," according to a WSL press release. "Based on surfer and fan feedback, along with considerations of partner and permitting components, the CT will utilize a cumulative rankings format that combines a high-stakes finale with the depth of a full-season title race." The nine regular season fields of 36 men and 24 women will be narrowed to 24 men and 16 women for the two postseason events. The full regular season fields will rejoin the competition for the Pipe Masters, the 12th and final event. Advertisement The final season rankings that determine world champions will be made up of surfers' top seven of nine regular season results plus the last three contests. The Pipe Masters will award 1.5 times the rankings points of standard Championship Tour events and will "ensure the finale delivers elite performances, meaningful consequences, and defining moments in the world title race," according to the WSL. The top eight men and women heading into Pipe Masters — determined by the two earlier postseason events — will earn an advantage of deeper seeding in the draw at the finale. 'Pipeline has always held a special place in surfing history, and our fans have made it clear they want to see our sport's most critical moments unfold there,' WSL CEO Ryan Crosby said in the release. 'We are thrilled to return the final event of the year, where world champions will be crowned, to this iconic proving ground.' Advertisement Non-elimination rounds have also been removed from all Championship Tour events. This new format is for "2026 and beyond." It is expected that 2028 Olympic qualifying will be similar to previous cycles, meaning that most of the top surfers would earn spots at the LA Games through the 2027 WSL standings. In that case, the Pipe Masters in 2027 would not just decide world champions, but also be the final Olympic selection event for the top surfers. Through five of 11 regular season events this year, Brazil's Italo Ferreira and Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan lead the season's standings. The WSL Finals are four months from now in Fiji. Advertisement Last season, Olympians Caity Simmers and John John Florence gave the U.S. a sweep of the women's and men's world titles for the first time since 2011. Americans also won the first two Olympic women's surfing gold medals — Carissa Moore in Tokyo and Caroline Marks in Paris. The 2028 Olympic surfing events will be at Lower Trestles off San Clemente, which held the WSL Finals from 2021-24. Lexus WSL Finals Caity Simmers, John John Florence give U.S. sweep of world surfing titles in thrilling finals The U.S. won the men's and women's world championships in surfing for the first time since 2011.
NBC Sports
02-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
World Surf League revamps Championship Tour format, putting Pipe Masters in the spotlight
The World Surf League is changing its Championship Tour format, namely moving its most prestigious event, the Pipe Masters off Oahu's North Shore, from the beginning of the season to the end to determine annual world champions. Starting in 2026, the Pipe Masters will be a WSL season-ending event for the women for the first time. It was previously a season-ending event for the men through 2019. A women's WSL competition at Pipe Masters was first held in December 2020 at the start of the 2021 season. Beginning with that 2021 campaign, the WSL shifted its season-long world title race to a one-day, surf-off event — the WSL Finals — for the top five men and women from the regular season. The new format starting next season, what the WSL bills as the 50th year of professional surfing, will be nine regular season events starting in April, two postseason events in Portugal and Abu Dhabi and then the Pipe Masters as the finale in December. 'The 12-stop schedule welcomes a new evolution of the CT (Championship Tour), reimagined to meet the ambitions and momentum of surfing's next chapter,' according to a WSL press release. 'Based on surfer and fan feedback, along with considerations of partner and permitting components, the CT will utilize a cumulative rankings format that combines a high-stakes finale with the depth of a full-season title race.' The nine regular season fields of 36 men and 24 women will be narrowed to 24 men and 16 women for the two postseason events. The full regular season fields will rejoin the competition for the Pipe Masters, the 12th and final event. The final season rankings that determine world champions will be made up of surfers' top seven of nine regular season results plus the last three contests. The Pipe Masters will award 1.5 times the rankings points of standard Championship Tour events and will 'ensure the finale delivers elite performances, meaningful consequences, and defining moments in the world title race,' according to the WSL. The top eight men and women heading into Pipe Masters — determined by the two earlier postseason events — will earn an advantage of deeper seeding in the draw at the finale. 'Pipeline has always held a special place in surfing history, and our fans have made it clear they want to see our sport's most critical moments unfold there,' WSL CEO Ryan Crosby said in the release. 'We are thrilled to return the final event of the year, where world champions will be crowned, to this iconic proving ground.' Non-elimination rounds have also been removed from all Championship Tour events. This new format is for '2026 and beyond.' It is expected that 2028 Olympic qualifying will be similar to previous cycles, meaning that most of the top surfers would earn spots at the LA Games through the 2027 WSL standings. In that case, the Pipe Masters in 2027 would not just decide world champions, but also be the final Olympic selection event for the top surfers. Through five of 11 regular season events this year, Brazil's Italo Ferreira and Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan lead the season's standings. The WSL Finals are four months from now in Fiji. Last season, Olympians Caity Simmers and John John Florence gave the U.S. a sweep of the women's and men's world titles for the first time since 2011. Americans also won the first two Olympic women's surfing gold medals — Carissa Moore in Tokyo and Caroline Marks in Paris. The 2028 Olympic surfing events will be at Lower Trestles off San Clemente, which held the WSL Finals from 2021-24. Nick Zaccardi,
