BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu, Hawaii, USA (Tuesday, January 17, 2023) – The World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) season will officially begin on January 29, 2023, with the first competition taking place at the world-renowned Banzai Pipeline for the Billabong Pro Pipeline. The season, which runs until September, will feature the world’s best surfers competing in 10 events around the world. These regular-season events will lead up to the Rip Curl WSL Finals, where the top 5 men and top 5 women will compete for the coveted World Titles.

This season will be the second full year the WSL implements the revamped format, which includes the combined men’s and women’s schedule, the Mid-season Cut, and the one-day Rip Curl WSL Finals. The 2023 CT will continue to make history and pave the way for sports equality. 2023 marks the fifth year of equal prize money for all WSL-owned and operated events, having been the first US-based global sports league to achieve prize money equality.

Class of 2023 Ready To Make Their Debut

The men’s and women’s CT fields consist of the world’s best surfers who have qualified from the 2022 CT and the 2022 Challenger Series, as well as WSL wildcards and event wildcards selected by the WSL Tours and Competition team. The 2023 CT will witness a new rookie class take center stage, representing new regions around the world.

The men’s 2023 Championship Tour will be contested by the WSL Top 36, made up of:

• The Top 22 finishers from the 2022 CT rankings
• The Top 10 finishers on the 2022 Challenger Series rankings
• Two WSL season wildcards
• Two event wildcards

The women’s 2023 Championship Tour will be contested by the WSL Top 18, made up of:

• The Top 10 finishers on the 2022 CT rankings
• The Top five finishers on the 2022 Challenger Series rankings
• Two WSL season wildcards
• One event wildcard

Women’s 2023 Championship Tour Qualifiers

Top 10 Qualifiers from 2022 CT Rankings
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Carissa Moore (HAW)
Johanne Defay (FRA)
Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA)
Brisa Hennessey (CRI)
Lakey Peterson (USA)
Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Tyler Wright (AUS)
Gabriela Bryan (HAW)
Isabella Nichols (AUS)

Top 5 Qualifiers from 2022 Challenger Series Rankings
Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)
Macy Callaghan (AUS)
Molly Picklum (AUS)
Caitlin Simmers (USA)
Sophie McCulloch (AUS)

WSL Season Wildcards
Caroline Marks (USA)
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)

WSL Replacement
Teresa Bonvalot (PRT)

Men’s 2023 Championship Tour Qualifiers

Top 22 Qualifiers from the 2022 CT Rankings
Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Italo Ferreira (BRA)
Jack Robinson (AUS)
Ethan Ewing (AUS)
Kanoa Igarashi (JPN)
Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Griffin Colapinto (USA)
Caio Ibelli (BRA)
Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Callum Robson (AUS)
Samuel Pupo (BRA)
John John Florence (HAW)
Matthew McGillivray (ZAF)
Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Kelly Slater (USA)
Barron Mamiya (HAW)
Nat Young (USA)
Jake Marshall (USA)
Kolohe Andino (USA)
Jadson Andre (BRA)
Seth Moniz (HAW)
Jackson Baker (AUS)

Top 10 Qualifiers from the 2022 Challenger Series Rankings
Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Rio Waida (IND)
Maxime Huscenot (FRA)
Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR)
Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
Ian Gentil (HAW)
Joao Chianca (BRA)
Liam O’Brien (AUS)
Ezekiel Lau (HAW)

WSL Season Wildcards
Gabriel Medina (BRA)
Yago Dora (BRA)

WSL Replacement
Carlos Munoz (CRI)

2023 Championship Tour Explained

The 2023 CT will include 10 regular-season events in seven countries, starting in January for the Billabong Pro Pipeline. 36 men and 18 women will compete in the first five competitions. At each event, surfers will accrue points on the CT rankings. The Mid-season Cut will come into action following the Margaret River Pro, Stop. No. 5. The Mid-season Cut will reduce the men’s and women’s fields to 24 and 12, respectively. The 2023 Rip Curl WSL Finals will be held in Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Calif., where the men’s Top 5 and women’s Top 5 surfers will compete for the World Titles in the one-day, winner-take-all event.

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
VIVO Rio Pro presented by Corona (Brazil): June 23 – July 1
Corona Open J-Bay (South Africa): July 13 – 22
SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro presented by Outerknown (French Polynesia): August 11 – 20

WSL Final 5 men and Final 5 women determined.

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

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 18 (10 men and 8 women) of the 48 spots at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

WSL CT Fantasy Open Now for the 2023 Season 

WSL Fantasy Surfing is now live for the 2023 season. Fans can now create their leagues, invite friends, and build teams for the Billabong Pro Pipeline. WSL Fantasy for the Billabong Pro Pipeline will lock in at the start of the men’s Round of 32 and women’s Round of 16. Learn more at CTFantasy.WorldSurfLeague.com.

First Stop: Billabong Pro Pipeline Kicks off on January 29 

Located in the middle of the “Seven-Mile Miracle” on Oahu’s North Shore, Banzai Pipeline is one of the most iconic and challenging waves in the world. Known for its fast and powerful barrels that break over a shallow reef, it has long been a benchmark to which other waves are measured and is the proving ground for surfers hoping to make a name for themselves. Last season saw the first full-length women’s Championship Tour event at Pipeline. The women clearly demonstrated they have a place in the lineup and will return this year to showcase their talent at the world-renowned wave.

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.