LOS
ANGELES,
Calif.,
USA
(Sunday,
January
25,
2026)
–
Today,
the
World
Surf
League
(WSL)
announced
the
addition
of
Aotearoa,
New
Zealand,
to
the
schedule
for
the
2026
Championship
Tour
(CT).
From
May
15
–
25,
the
top
36
men
and
24
women
will
compete
at
the
left-hand
point
break
of
Manu
Bay,
Raglan,
located
on
the
west
coast
of
the
North
Island’s
Waikato
region.

The
New
Zealand
Pro
joins
the
calendar
as
stop
number
four
of
WSL’s
updated
CT
format
and
will
take
place
at
the
optimal
time
of
year
for
New
Zealand’s
most
famous
wave.

“We’re
excited
to
welcome
this
new
location
to
the
CT
in
the
50th
year
of
the
World
Tour,”
said
WSL
CEO
Ryan
Crosby.
“As
a
quality
left-hander,
Manu
Bay,
Raglan
is
a
great
addition
to
the
tour
and
has
been
made
possible
thanks
to
valuable
support
from
the
New
Zealand
Government.”

“I’m
very
happy
with
the
addition
of
a
rippable
left
on
tour,”
said

Yago
Dora,
2025
WSL
World
Champion.
“It’s
been
a
long
time
asking
to
have
one
on
the
schedule,
and
we
finally
got
it!
I’ve
never
been
to
New
Zealand,
and
I’m
very
happy
that
I
will
get
the
chance
to
go
there
for
the
first
time
and
experience
what
seems
to
be
a
very
beautiful
part
of
the
world.
The
place
looks
amazing
so
I’m
truly
excited
to
go
there
for
the
first
time
and
compete
at
Raglan.”

“Obviously,
so
psyched
to
have
an
event
that’s
not
too
far
from
home,”
said

Molly
Picklum,
2025
WSL
World
Champion.
“We
don’t
have
a
rippable
left
point
break
on
tour,
so
I
absolutely
love
that
I
get
to
bring
out
the
backside
attack.
New
Zealand
culture
and
the
way
of
life
there
is
just
a
breath
of
fresh
air,
which
is
so
appreciated
when
we
are
travelling
so
much.
So
all
in
all,
I’m
excited
for
that
event.
I
think
having
NZ
on
tour
brings
us
a
world-class
location
when
it
comes
to
waves
and
food,
which
for
me
is
all
I
ever
worry
about!”

New
Zealand
has
a
strong
track
record
of
hosting
elite
professional
surfing
events,
including
women’s
CT
stops
from
2010
to
2013
at
Taranaki,
which
then
transitioned
to
a
Qualifying
Series
(QS)
event,
a
men’s
QS
event
at
Raglan
in
1995
and
the
Rip
Curl
Pro
Raglan,
part
of
the
New
Zealand
Surf
Series,
which
ran
for
more
than
two
decades.
The
2026
“Backdoor
King
and
Queen
of
the
Point”
event
staged
by
Surfing
New
Zealand
(SNZ)
in
early
May
will
serve
as
the
official
trials
for
the
event.
The
best
performing
man
and
woman
will
receive
the
SNZ
wildcards
into
the
CT
event.

“I’m
thrilled
to
be
able
to
support
a
World
Surf
League
Championship
Tour
event
coming
to
our
shores,”
said
Tourism
and
Hospitality
Minister
Louise
Upston.
“Fans
can
watch
the
world’s
best
surfers
compete,
while
showcasing
Raglan
as
a
top
surf
destination,
growing
the
sport
in
New
Zealand,
and
boosting
local
tourism.”

“Hosting
a
World
Tour
event
at
Raglan
is
a
landmark
moment
for
surfing
in
Aotearoa,”
said
Ben
Kennings,
Chief
Executive,
SNZ.
“This
will
be
the
biggest
surfing
event
ever
staged
in
New
Zealand,
bringing
the
world’s
best
surfers
to
our
most
iconic
break.
The
impact
goes
well
beyond
the
event
itself;
it
elevates
the
profile
of
surfing
nationally.
The
opportunity
for
young
New
Zealand
surfers
to
witness
the
world’s
best
up
close
is
invaluable
and
will
have
a
lasting
impact
on
the
future
of
our
sport.”

Marking
the
50th
year
of
the
World
Tour,
2026
welcomes
an
increased
women’s
field
as
well
as
a
combined
men’s
and
women’s
12-stop
CT
schedule
that
will
run
from
April
to
December,
2026.
The
tour
starts
in
Australia
and
concludes
in
Hawai‘i,
culminating
in
a
revitalized
Pipe
Masters
that
will
close
the
season
with
a
high-stakes,
all-inclusive
finale.

New
Zealand
will
be
one
of
the
nine
“regular-season”
events
featuring
36
men
and
24
women.
Following
Stop
No.
9,
the
fields
are
narrowed
to
24
men
and
16
women
for
two
events
before
the
season
concludes
at
the
Pipe
Masters.
The
final
season
rankings,
and
ultimately
the
World
Titles,
will
be
determined
by
a
surfer’s
best
nine
of
12
results.

Additionally,
all
CT
events
will
feature
a
streamlined
format
that
removes
non-elimination
rounds.
This
change
raises
the
stakes
from
the
outset
and
creates
greater
opportunities
for
high-impact
heats
to
run
in
optimal
conditions.

In
order
to
maintain
a
12-event
CT
format
this
season,
Jeffreys
Bay,
South
Africa,
will
not
feature
on
the
CT
schedule
for
2026.

“We
love
J-Bay
and
the
community
there,
and
we’re
really
grateful
to
them
for
welcoming
us
for
so
many
years,”
said
Crosby.
“It’s
undoubtedly
one
of
the
best
waves
in
the
world,
and
we
will
continue
to
explore
ways
to
return
in
the
future.
That
said,
we
have
made
the
difficult
decision
to
pull
Jeffreys
Bay
from
the
2026
CT
calendar.
We
did
our
very
best
to
make
J-Bay
work
in
202,5,
but
the
financial
support
isn’t
there
to
make
it
viable
this
year.”

“Our
goal
is
to
set
professional
surfing
up
for
long-term
success
and
make
sure
the
world’s
best
surfers
have
the
platform
to
keep
advancing
the
sport
for
many
years,”
continued
Crosby.
“Achieving
this
goal
requires
making
decisions
that
prioritize
the
health
of
the
overall
business.”

Here
is
the
calendar
for
the
2026
WSL
Championship
Tour:
Stop
No.
1
–
Bells
Beach,
Victoria,
Australia:
April
1
–
11
Stop
No.
2
–
Margaret
River,
Western
Australia,
Australia:
April
16
–
26
Stop
No.
3
–
Snapper
Rocks,
Queensland,
Australia:
May
1
–
11
Stop
No.
4
–
Raglan,
New
Zealand:
May
15
–
25
Stop
No.
5
–
Punta
Roca,
El
Salvador:
June
5
–
15
Stop
No.
6
–
Saquarema,
Rio
de
Janeiro,
Brazil:
June
19
–
27
Stop
No.
7
–
Teahupo’o,
Tahiti,
French
Polynesia:
August
8
–
18
Stop
No.
8
–
Cloudbreak,
Fiji:
August
25
–
September
4
Stop
No.
9
–
Lower
Trestles,
San
Clemente,
Calif.,
USA:
September
11
–
20
Stop
No.
10
–
Surf
Abu
Dhabi,
Abu
Dhabi,
UAE:
October
14
–
18*
Stop
No.
11
–
Peniche,
Portugal:
October
22
–
November
1*
Stop
No.
12
–
Banzai
Pipeline,
Hawaiʻi,
USA:
December
8
–
20**

*Events
feature
a
reduced
field
**Full
CT
fields
compete
for
Pipe
Masters
Titles

Go to Surfing New Zealand
Author: Ben Kennings