The WSL has announced its dates for the 2026 CT schedule which was revealed earlier this year as part of a number of radical changes which includes the reversion back to a cumulative points scoring system, Pipeline moved to the end of the year and is now worth 1.5x points and the removal of the non elimination round. The WSL has also revealed the contest formats for various stages throughout the year.
The 2026 CT schedule is as follows:
- Stop 1 – Bells Beach, Australia: April 1-11
- Stop 2 – Margaret River, Australia: April 17-27
- Stop 3 – Snapper Rocks, Australia: May 2-12
- Stop 4 – Punta Roca, El Salvador: May 28- June 7
- Stop 5 – Saquarema, Brazil: June 12-20
- Stop 6 – Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: July 10-20
- Stop 7 – Teahupo’o, Tahiti: August 8-18
- Stop 8 – Cloudbreak, Fiji: August 25- September 4
- Stop 9 – Lower Trestles, California: September 11-20
- Stop 10 – Surf Abu Dhabi, UAE: October 14-18
- Stop 11 – Peniche, Portugal: October 22- November 1
- Stop 12 – Pipeline, Hawaii: December 8-20
The schedule now consists of 12 events beginning in April and ending in December. Nine “regular-season” events will feature 36 men and 24 women, and then the field will be narrowed to 24 men and 16 women for the final two “post-season” events. The entire field will return to compete in the Pipe Masters.
So if you don’t make the cut you get sin-binned for only two events but then the whole band gets back together for the Pipe Masters. We assume the bonus at Pipe gives surfers a last ditch chance to re-qualify for the following year’s tour.
Regular season format, stops 1-9
The format for regular-season events, Stops 1-9, will include 32 qualified men, two men’s season wildcards, and two men’s event wildcards; and 21 qualified women, two women’s season wildcards, and one women’s event wildcard.
Men’s format
- Round 1 features four head-to-head heats consisting of surfers seeded (29-34) as well as the two event wildcards. Seeds 29-32 will be separated and each one will be randomly drawn against the rest.
- The winners of round 1 will face off against the top four seeds in the event in round 2. The rest of the field will be drawn randomly against each other.
- The rest of the event follows on as normal.
Women’s format
- Round 1 features eight head-to-head heats consisting of surfers seeded (9-22) as well as the two event wildcards.
- The winners of round one will then face seeds 1-8 on a fixed bracket system in round two.
- The rest of the event follows on as normal.
Postseason events, stops 10 and 11
The format for postseason events, Stops 10 and 11, will include 22 qualified men and 14 qualified women, along with two Event Wildcards in each field, per event.
Men’s format
- Round 1 features eight head-to-head heats consisting of surfers seeded (9-22) plus two event wildcards.
- The winners of round one will then face seeds 1-8 on a fixed bracket system in round two.
- The rest of the event follows on as normal.
Women’s format
- Round 1 will feature eight head-to-head heats with no pre seedings.
- The rest of the event follows on as normal
Pipe Masters
The format for the Pipe Masters, Stop 12, will include 34 qualified men and 22 qualified women, along with two event wildcards in each field.
Men’s format
- Round 1 features four head-to-head heats consisting of surfers seeded (29-34) as well as the two event wildcards. Seeds 29-32 will be separated and each one will be randomly drawn against the rest.
- Round 2 features eight head-to-head heats with the winners from round 1 facing off against seeds 17-28 on a fixed bracket system.
- Round 3 features eight head-to-head heats with the winners from round 2 facing off against seeds 9-16 on a fixed bracket system.
- Round 4 features eight head-to-head heats with the winners from round 3 facing off against seeds 1-8 on a fixed bracket system.
- The rest of the event follows on as normal.
Women’s event
- Round 1 features eight head-to-head heats consisting of surfers seeded (9-22) as well as the two event wildcards.
- The winners of round one will then face seeds 1-8 on a fixed bracket system in round two.
- The rest of the event follows on as normal.
The new schedule will present all kinds of scenarios but overall it seems the WSL Think Tank has gone for a system that rewards consistent performers and satisfies fans of the original final rankings system, while including enough tweaks to manufacture some end of season drama around those chasing the title and avoiding elimination.
