50th Year of World Tour Set to Kick Off at Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Presented by Bonsoy

BELLS BEACH, Victoria, Australia (Thursday, March 26, 2026) – The World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) will commence its 2026 season with the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Presented by Bonsoy. To celebrate the 50th year of the World Tour, competitive surfing’s longest-running event will open the season for the first time in 25 years. Held April 1 – 11, the iconic Bells Bowl will light up with the Tour’s elite, including a host of returning World Champions and a new Rookie class.

Largest-Ever Field of World Champions Set for 2026 Title Race Starting at Bells

The 2026 season will see 10 World Champions competing, the most to feature in a single season in the CT’s 50-year history. Headlined by reigning World Champion Molly Picklum (AUS), a record six World-Title-winning women will be on Tour. Eight-time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and five-time World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) will return to full-time competition for the first time since 2023, joining two-time World Champion Tyler Wright (AUS), 2024 World Champion Caity Simmers (USA) and 2023 World Champion Caroline Marks (USA).

“I honestly think this is going to be an incredibly exciting year,” said Picklum. “It’s so fitting that after 50 years we’re going back to the dream tour and crowning world titles at Pipeline. Having more World Champions on tour than ever before says it all. I feel like this season will bring fireworks – it’s going to be one for the ages for sure.” 

On the men’s side, Brazil’s four most-recent World Title winners will be on Tour together for the first time since 2023, with reigning World Champion Yago Dora (BRA), three-time World Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA), two-time World Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA) and 2019 World Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA) all vying to add to their Title count.

“I’m very happy to get the season started,” said Dora. “It’s been a long and very busy break, so I’m really keen to get back to surfing some heats! I think this will be a very special season. Bells is an event I’m really looking forward to. It challenges me and I don’t think I’ve surfed it to my full potential yet, so lots of room for improvement there. Winning a Bell has always been a dream of mine!”

The coming season will also be the first to feature all four of surfing’s Olympic Gold Medalists as full-time CT members, with 2025/2026 Challenger Series Winner Kauli Vaast (FRA) joining fellow Paris 2024 Gold Medalist Caroline Marks (USA), along with Italo Ferreira (BRA) and Carissa Moore (HAW), the Tokyo 2020 Gold Medalists. The two men’s Olympic Silver Medalists, Jack Robinson (AUS) and Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), shared the Bells Final in 2025 and both continue to hunt their first World Title on the CT in 2026.

50 Years of the World Tour

The 50th edition of the World Tour will feature a combined men’s and women’s 12-stop global tour, an increased women’s field (24 up from 18), the removal of non-elimination rounds and a revitalized Pipe Masters that will close the season with a high-stakes, all-inclusive World Title showdown awarding 1.5x the points for the winners. The 2026 World Champions will be decided by season-long rankings and the man and woman with the most points after Pipe will be crowned.

To celebrate 50 years of the World Tour, the WSL has today launched a new campaign, “Imagine What’s Next”, built on the belief that surfing’s best days are ahead with a surfer-first, fan-driven, and forward-looking focus. Anchored by a new hero film narrated by three-time World Champion Mick Fanning(AUS) in English, and 2019 World Champion and 2020 Gold Medalist Italo Ferreira (BRA) in Portuguese, the campaign honors the depth of the sport’s history while making the case that the most exciting era of competitive surfing is happening right now.

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Presented by Bonsoy will run at Bells Beach from April 1 – 11, 2026. The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Also, check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Presented by Bonsoy is proudly supported by Rip Curl, Visit Victoria, Surf Coast Shire, Bonsoy, WSL One Ocean, Red Bull, Apple, True Surf, Surfline, I-Sea, YETI, eero, Stone & Wood, Hydralyte, GWM, Fatboy Bikes, Bond University, mophie, Boost Mobile, Volley, Bioglan and RACV.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.