The World Surf League returns next year in January with a completely new tour format.
Next year's WSL championship tour kicks off in Hawaii at arguably the best wave in the world, 'Pipeline'.
Surfing's best athletes compete at Hawaii, Portugal, Australia, Indonesia, USA, Brazil, South Africa and Tahiti throughout the year.
Legendary Hawaiian wave 'Sunset Beach' and Indonesian reef-break 'G-Land' return as tour locations.
The top 36 men and 18 women in the globe will compete in a variety of the best waves to see who the greatest is in 2022.
When does the WSL tour 2022 start?
The Championship tour begins at Pipeline, Hawaii on January 29, 2022 and will end at the WSL finals in September.
How to watch the WSL tour 2022?
You can watch it on channel 507 on Foxtel or for free on the WSL website, YouTube Live and Facebook TV.
It can also be streamed on Kayo.
Who won the WSL tour 2021?
Gabriel Medina and Carrissa Moore won the 2021 WSL titles at Trestles, California.
For the first time in the history of the WSL Championship Tour, the 2021 World Champion was decided by a one-day, winner-take-all event.
Catach the highlights of the memorable day in September below.
What is the the WSL championship tour schedule 2022?
Pipeline, Hawaii (January 29 - February 10)
Sunset, Hawaii (February 11 - 23)
Peniche, Portugal (March 3 - 13)
Bells Beach, Australia (April 10 - 20)
Margaret River, Western Australia (April 24 - May 4)
G- Land, Indonesia (May 28 - June 6)
Trestles, USA (June 15 - 22)
Saquarema, Brazil (June 27 - July 4)
Jeffreys Bay, South Africa (July 9 - 18)
Teahupo'o, Tahiti (August 11 - 21)
WSL finals, location TBA (September 7 - 18)
What is the WSL Championship tour 2022 format?
The 2022 CT season will start with the best 36 men and 18 women in the world, this will be reduced to 24 men and 12 women at the middle of the season.
Those who make it past the mid-season cut re-qualify for the 2023 championship tour.
The top five men and women at the end of the season will compete at the Rip Curl WSL finals in September 2022 for the championship.
Who are the WSL Championship tour qualifiers 2022?
| Men | Women |
|---|---|
| Gabriel Medina | Carissa Moore |
| Italo Ferreira | Tatiana Weston-Webb |
| Filipe Toledo | Sally Fitzgibbons |
| Conner Coffin | Stephanie Gilmore |
| Morgan Cibilic | Johanne Defay |
| Griffin Colapinto | Caroline Marks |
| Jordy Smith | Tyler Wright |
| Kanoa Igarashi | Isabella Nichols |
| Yago Dora | Courtney Conlogue |
| Frederico Morais | |
| John John Florence | |
| Jack Robinson | |
| Leonardo Fioravanti | |
| Deivid Silva | |
| Ryan Callinan | |
| Ethan Ewing | |
| Kelly Slater | |
| Jadson Andre | |
| Seth Moniz | |
| Miguel Pupo |
There are 16 more men and nine females to be added on the WSL tour. The top 12 ranked men and top six women from the Challenger series will automatically qualify for the 2022 Championship tour.
The challenger series ends in December this year. Australian surfers Connor O'Leary, Liam O'Brien, Callum Robson and India Robinson are currently in a qualification spot to be on tour next year.
Which Australian's qualified for the WSL tour 2022?
On the men's side we have Australian's Morgan Ciblic, Jack Robinson, Ryan Callinan and Ethan Ewing on the tour next year.
The Aussie females on the WSL tour are Sally Fitzgibbons, Stephanie Gilmore and Tyler Wright.
Australian surfer and former world number two Julian Wilson has withdrawn from the tour to focus on his family.
What are the betting odds for the WSL tour 2022?
| Mens | Odds |
|---|---|
| Gabriel Medina | $4.00 |
| John John Florence | $4.50 |
| Italo Ferreria | $5.00 |
| Felipe Toledo | $6.50 |
| Jordy Smith | $14.00 |
Pro-surfer Jack Robinson is Australia's best chance in the mens' at $14 to win the title.
| Females | Odds |
|---|---|
| Carissa Moore | $3.00 |
| Caroline Marks | $5.50 |
| Tyler Wright | $6.00 |
| Tatiana Weston- Webb | $7.00 |
| Stephanie Gilmore | $8.50 |
Odds courtesy of TAB