Could war prevent the Championship Tour from visiting the Middle East? Photo: Beatriz Ryder//WSL
The World Surf League’s Surf Abu Dhabi wave pool event could become collateral damage as tensions flare in the Middle East. According to several sources with knowledge of the matter, the WSL is considering removing the event from the Championship Tour if the situation doesn’t improve by the end of August.
After prolonged, but largely unsuccessful, ceasefire negotiations, the U.S. and Iran have been exchanging strikes in recent days around the Strait of Hormuz. Over the course of the war, the United Arab Emirates, where the U.S. has a strong military presence, has been targeted by more than 3,000 missiles and drones.
On Tuesday, the WSL sent out an email notification saying that a new tour stop was coming to the 2026 CT. “A wave so good we had to say yes,” the email reads. “Announcement coming tomorrow. Stay tuned.”
Those privy to the discussions say the WSL might replace the Abu Dhabi wave pool with an undisclosed location in addition to the new venue mentioned in today’s email blast. It’s unclear if the replacement venue would be another wave pool, or an ocean wave. So, there could possibly be two additional events added to the 2026 schedule. Or this event the WSL is teasing is simply insurance in case Abu Dhabi is canceled. We shall see.
The WSL introduced the Abu Dhabi venue to the Championship Tour for the first time last season. The League had previously held CT events in its Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California, before selling its stake in the pool this year.
As far as where the new tour stop could be, our sources kept that one tight-lipped. The WSL’s messaging leads one to believe that it must be one of the “best waves in the world.” They had to “say yes”… Could J-Bay be coming back to the tour? Since we are entering the Southern Hemisphere winter, it’s more likely to be somewhere that receives swells from below the equator… Maldives? Indonesia? Chile? We’ll find out tomorrow, apparently.
