Will the new format lure John John Florence out of his sabbatical? Photo: Brent Bielmann//World Surf League
The World Surf League has announced that it will discontinue the Final 5 format starting in 2026. In a major format shakeup to the Championship Tour, Pipeline will reassume its position as the final event of the season and will be weighted more than other events, the mid-season cut will be scrapped, non-elimination rounds will be done away with, and the women’s CT field will grow from 18 surfers to 24.
The WSL cited feedback from surfers and fans as a factor in restructuring. CEO Ryan Crosby said that the changes “represent a new era.”
Similar to the pre-Final 5 era, which was implemented in 2021, the season will begin in April in Australia and end at Pipeline in December. The world champions will once again be crowned via a cumulative ranking and not through a one-day surf-off.
But there are several new wrinkles added to the revamped format. The tour will consist of nine “regular season” events (scroll down for the full list of locations) with 36 men and 24 women. After those nine events, the field will be narrowed down to 24 men and 16 women for two “post-season” events in Portugal and the Abu Dhabi wave pool.
The two post-season events will be used to seed the top eight surfers deeper in the bracket for the final event, giving them the advantage of surfing fewer heats. The full field will then return to close out the season at Pipeline, which will be weighted more heavily, worth 15,000 points – 1.5 times more than other events on the schedule.
To speed up the events, accommodate a larger women’s field, and take advantage of swell windows, there will no longer be non-elimination rounds in 2026. Every heat will result in elimination.
As far as determining the champion, the best seven of nine results from the regular season count toward a surfer’s final point total. Then, when you factor in the two post-season events and the grand finale at Pipe, the best nine results of 12 will determine the final ranking and crown world champions.
Other updates to the overhaul include the WSL obtaining the intellectual property rights of the Pipe Masters from Vans and CT qualification continuing to go through the Qualification Series and Challenger Series (with more updates to come soon).
Former world champs Kelly Slater, Steph Gilmore, and John John Florence shared their opinions on the new format.
“Pipeline has shaped the history of surfing more than any other wave, especially in competition,” said Slater. “Many of the most defining moments of my career happened there. I wanted to win the Pipe Masters almost as much as I wanted to win the world title and it’s great to see those two things now reconnected. Putting Pipe back where it belongs on the CT, with added weight, honors the past while setting up something really special for the future.”
Gilmore is equally bullish on the new format, perhaps an incentive to return to competition during her two-year sabbatical.
“The CT has seen a lot of change during my time on tour, especially for the women, and it just keeps getting better,” said Gilmore. “Introducing equal pay and aligning the men’s and women’s tours were both big steps forward. I’m thrilled to see the 2026 schedule include elements of the current format, a connection to the past and what will no doubt be an exciting chapter ahead.”
John John Florence, the reigning world champ and Pipeline local, is unsurprisingly excited to see the elevated role of his backyard wave on the tour.
“Pipeline holds a legendary place in the world of surfing,” said Florence. “It’s one of the most perfect, yet challenging waves on the planet, and it’s where some of our sport’s most iconic moments have unfolded. Every year, the surf world looks forward to what Pipeline will deliver. I can’t wait to see the season end in Hawaii again.”
The 2026 CT schedule:
- CT1: Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia
- CT2: Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia
- CT3: Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia
- CT4: Punta Roca, El Salvador
- CT5: Saquarema, Brazil
- CT6: Jeffreys Bay, South Africa
- CT7: Teahupo’o, Tahiti
- CT8: Cloudbreak, Fiji
- CT9: Lower Trestles, California, USA*
- CT10: Surf Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- CT11: Peniche, Portugal
- CT12: Pipe Masters, Hawai‘i, USA**
*End of regular season, start of postseason
**Full CT fields rejoin postseason surfers to compete for Pipe Masters Titles
