2022 Rip Curl WSL Finals To Crown the Undisputed World Champions

Lower Trestles in Southern California To Host One-Day Finale

The competition will run on the best day of waves determined by the WSL Tours and Competition team between September 8 – 16, 2022.

Rip Curl WSL Finals Format, Brackets, and Seeding Explained

Pictured front page: Carissa Moore (HAW) will return to the Rip Curl WSL Finals which holds a competition window from September 8 – 16, 2022. Credit: © WSL / Heff

LOWER TRESTLES, San Clemente, California (August 25, 2022) – The World Surf League (WSL) Final 5 are headed to Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California for the Rip Curl WSL Finals, the one-day winner-take-all event to decide the undisputed World Champions.

Pictured: The lineup at Lower Trestles during the 2021 Rip Curl WSL Finals. Credit: © WSL / Diz

About the Host Venue: Lower Trestles in Southern California

The cobblestone point of Lower Trestles is one of the most high-performance and iconic waves in the world, providing a natural stage for the world’s best to put on their final performances of the year. Last year’s inaugural Rip Curl WSL Finals was a show not to be missed and this year promises to be no different, with a mix of returning and new faces to the World-Title showdown.

The venue enables fans to have the best possible viewing experience to witness the world’s best surfers up close and personal.

10 Top Ranked Surfers To Compete in One-Day Rip Curl WSL Finals

Each finalist earned their place in the Rip Curl WSL Finals based on competition results during the ten 2022 regular-season Championship Tour (CT) events. Now, the Top 5 men and the Top 5 women from those leaderboard results will battle it out for the World Title.

Rip Curl WSL Finals: How It Works

The number one rated male and female surfer will both receive a bid directly into the Title Match, a best-of-three showdown to determine the World Champion.

The remaining surfers will enter the Rip Curl WSL Finals bracket based on their year-end rankings.

Each Match will be a traditional heat format: two competitors locking in their two highest-scoring waves — both out of a possible 10 points for a possible 20-point heat total. Match 1 for the women will see a new face in the Rip Curl WSL Finals in Brisa Hennessy (CRI), take on seven-time World Champion Stefanie Gilmore (AUS).

For the men, Match 1 will be Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), who narrowly clinched his spot in the Final 5 with a brilliant performance in Tahiti, up against 2019 World Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA).

Whoever wins Match 1 will then face World No. 3 in Match 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) for the women, and Ethan Ewing (AUS) for the men.

The winner of Match 2 will then face-off against the number two ranked surfer: Johanne Defay (FRA) for the women and Jack Robinson (AUS) for the men.

The winner of Match 3 will then move on to the best-of-three Title Match, where they will face World No. 1, Carissa Moore (HAW) and Filipe Toledo (BRA).

The first surfer to win two out of three Title Matches becomes the undisputed 2022 World Champion.

The crowning of the 2022 World Champions will immediately follow the final Title Match of the day.