The start of the World Surf League (WSL) 2022 Championship Tour (CT) season is set to make history at the Billabong Pro Pipeline, as the women will compete at the iconic Pipeline alongside the men in full competition for the first time. The first stop on the men’s and women’s schedule will host 13 rookies, seven World Champions, and countless World Title contenders in one of the most anticipated competitions of the year. 

Women Will Make History at Billabong Pro Pipeline

A benchmark competition for surfing’s history will kickstart the 2022 season with the first-ever full CT competition for the women. Last year, the women finished the last three rounds at Pipeline to complete the Roxy Pro Maui contest, spotlighting incredible performances from two-time WSL Champion Tyler Wright (AUS) and five-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) in waves of consequence. Now, the world’s best surfers will get their opportunity to shine alongside men’s competition for the first time in history as fully integrated events. The CT veterans will also be joined by the next generation of talent when the Billabong Pro Pipeline gets underway. 

Rookies Prepare for Championship Tour Debuts

For the women, three Hawaii teenagers in Bettylou Sakura Johnson, 16, Luana Silva, 17, and Gabriela Bryan, 19, join Australia’s India Robinson, 21, and Molly Picklum,19, on the 2022 CT. While Bryan secured her spot among the CT well before the final Challenger Series event, the others needed to prove themselves capable of rising to the occasion and will now look to cement their places amid the Top 17. 

On the men’s side, an onslaught of talent joins the world’s best with a diverse field of rookies who hope to make their mark. Jake Marshall (USA) notes the first American to qualify since Griffin Colapinto and Caroline Marks in 2018, Carlos Munoz became Costa Rica’s first male qualifier to the CT while Peru’s Lucca Mesinas became the first male from his country to qualify. A Brazilian duo of Samuel Pupo and Joao Chianca look to add their presence to the ‘Brazilian Storm’ while a trio of Australians including Liam O’Brien, Callum Robson, and Jackson Baker look to add to their country’s incredible history in the sport. 

Wong, Mamiya, and Tudela Awarded Wildcards to the Billabong Pro Pipeline

After Moana Jones Wong’s (HAW) undeniable showing at the HIC Pipe Pro QS 1,000, the North Shore local earned herself a wildcard spot into the Billabong Pro Pipeline and is arguably one of the lineup’s standouts when Pipeline comes to life. The 21-year-old will be a sure threat to the world’s best when the opening horn sounds.

“I am so stoked to be given this opportunity to surf in the first ever women’s event at Pipe,” said Wong. “This has always been my favorite contest to watch, so I am over the moon that I am not going to be just watching, but I am going to be competing against the world’s best at my favorite wave in the world. Representing the North Shore and having a lot of experience in the Pipe lineup is great for me but, at the same time, Pipeline is a super tricky wave and even the best of the best out there struggle. I am very humbled to be able to surf out there and be from here.” 

Joining Wong, Barron Mamiya’s (HAW) exceptional showing at the HIC Pipe Pro earned him a runner-up finish and a wildcard alongside former Pipe Invitational runner-up and event wildcard Miguel Tudela (PER).

“Growing up on the North Shore, me and all my friends would always go watch the contest after school,” said Mamiya. “So it’s an awesome feeling being in it this year. Living here and surfing Pipe every year, you definitely get a lot more comfortable than people who aren’t from here and have only surfed it a few times. When you’re comfortable out there, it really changes the way you surf it. It’s one of the heaviest waves in the world and I’m really grateful to have it as my home break.”

Billabong Pro Pipeline Women’s Opening Round 1 Matchups:
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Courtney Conlogue (USA), Molly Picklum (AUS)
Heat 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Malia Manuel (HAW)
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW), Brisa Hennessy (CRI), Moana Jones Wong (HAW)
Heat 4: Johanne Defay (FRA), Isabella Nichols (AUS), Luana Silva (HAW)
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Tyler Wright (AUS), India Robinson (AUS)
Heat 6: Caroline Marks (USA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)

Billabong Pro Pipeline Men’s Opening Round 1 Matchups:
Heat 1: Griffin Colapinto (USA), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Jackson Baker (AUS)
Heat 2: Morgan Cibilic (AUS), Seth Moniz (HAW), Carlos Munoz (CRI)
Heat 3: Conner Coffin (USA), Ezekiel Lau (HAW), Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA), Liam O’Brien (AUS), Matthew McGillivray (ZAF)
Heat 5: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Connor O’Leary (AUS), Barron Mamiya (HAW)
Heat 6: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Jake Marshall (USA), Miguel Tudela (PER)
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Jadson Andre (BRA), Joao Chianca (BRA)
Heat 8: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), Kelly Slater (USA), Lucca Mesinas (PER)
Heat 9: Frederico Morais (PRT), Ethan Ewing (AUS), Imaikalani deVault (HAW)
Heat 10: John John Florence (HAW), Ryan Callinan (AUS), Nat Young (USA)
Heat 11: Jack Robinson (AUS), Deivid Silva (BRA), Samuel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 12: Kolohe Andino (USA), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), Callum Robson (AUS)

COVID-19 Updates
The health and safety of our athletes, staff, and the local community are of the utmost importance and we have been working closely with local authorities to put a robust set of procedures in place to keep everyone safe. This includes pre-event screening, testing protocols, and minimal personnel on site.

Watch LIVE
The Billabong Pro Pipeline will open on Saturday, January 29, 2022. The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the free WSL app, and the WSL’s YouTube channel. Also, check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners. 

The World Surf League (WSL) Tours and Competition team confirmed the official competitor lists for the 2022 Championship Tour (CT) season. The 2022 WSL CT will be contested by the world’s best surfers, as determined by the top-ranking finishers on the 2021 CT and 2021 Challenger Series rankings, as well as the season and event wildcards selected by the Tours and Competition team. 

Starting in January, the 2022 qualifiers will compete in a fully redesigned CT framework. For the first time, male and female surfers will compete at the same CT venues with an equal number of competitions with the continuation of equal prize money. The new CT format will also introduce the mid-season cut and will conclude at the Rip Curl WSL Finals, where the WSL Final 5 men and women will battle for the coveted World Title. 

“We’re thrilled to confirm the 2022 Championship Tour class,” said Jessi Miley-Dyer, SVP of Tours and Head of Competition. “These are the world’s best surfers, and we’re excited to see them compete in a new format, battling for a spot at the 2022 Rip Curl WSL Finals. This upcoming season will be historic and full of firsts as we’ll have the first completely combined CT season for the men and women, including the first women’s CT competition at Pipe, the return of G-Land in the CT calendar after 24 years, and the mid-season cut. This will definitely be a season to remember, and we can’t wait to have our fans join us on this journey.”

The men’s 2022 Championship Tour will be contested by the WSL Top 36, made up of:
• The Top 20 finishers on the 2021 CT rankings
• The Top 12 finishers on the 2021 Challenger Series
• Two WSL season wildcards
• Two event wildcards

The women’s 2022 Championship Tour will be contested by the WSL Top 18 made up of:
• The Top nine finishers on the 2021 CT rankings
• The Top six finishers on the 2021 Challenger Series
• Two WSL season wildcards
• One event wildcard

Besides the WSL Wildcards announced for the season, the WSL Tours and Competition Team are also assigning one WSL Replacement for men’s competitions and one for the women’s competitions. The WSL Replacement surfer will surf amongst the world’s best in the instance a CT surfer withdraws from competition.

The WSL Replacement spot will only be available at the first five stops of the season, prior to the mid-season cut. The 2022 WSL Replacements are Bronte Macaulay (AUS) and Matthew McGillivray (ZAF). 

With new venues and a revamped Tour structure, the 2022 CT season will start with 36 men and 18 women. Halfway through the season, the field will be reduced to 24 men and 12 women. The top-ranked surfers will automatically requalify for the 2023 CT as well as continue on to the second half of the Tour, where they will be joined by two men’s wildcards and two women’s wildcards (one season wildcard and one event wildcard).

Top 6 Qualifiers from 2021 CS Rankings 
– Gabriela Bryan (HAW)
– Brisa Hennessy (CRI)
– Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)
– Caitlin Simmers (USA)
– India Robinson (AUS)
– Luana Silva (HAW)

WSL Season Wildcards
–  Lakey Peterson (USA)
– Malia Manuel (HAW)

WSL Replacement
–  Bronte Macaulay (AUS)

Ezekiel Lau (HAW)

Top 12 Qualifiers from 2021 CS Rankings 
– Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
– Liam O’Brien (AUS)
– Connor O’Leary (AUS)
– Jake Marshall (USA)
– Callum Robson (AUS)
– Samuel Pupo (BRA)
– Nat Young (USA)
– Imaikalani Devault (HAW)
– Lucca Mesinas (PER)
– Joao Chianca (BRA)
– Jackson Baker (AUS)
– Carlos Munoz (CRI)

WSL Season Wildcards
– Kolohe Andino (USA)
– Owen Wright (AUS)

WSL Replacement
–  Matthew McGillivray (ZAF)

To learn more about each of the competitors, please visit their athlete pages at WorldSurfLeague.com/athletes. 

Connor O’Leary (AUS)

The kind of lineup competitors will hope for when in France Photo: © WSL / Poullenot

The biggest professional surfing event in France comes back from October 16-24 to the world-famous stretch of sand of the Landes. Formerly a Championship Tour event, the Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France are now part of the newly introduced Challenger Series, the direct pathway to the elite World Surf League tour.
The complete redesign of professional surfing’s ladder in 2021 now offers a clear path for athletes to come up the ranks and ultimately join the world’s best. It starts at the Junior level, where young surfers compete to build on experience. They then graduate to the Qualifying Series, a succession of events in their region open to everyone.

The top athletes from the QS are offered a spot on the Challenger Series, a worldwide tour with iconic locations such as Australia’s Gold Coast, Ballito in South Africa, New Zealand and Hawaii, where they ultimately fight for a spot on the Championship Tour. The Challenger Series, though condensed to four events (US Open, Portugal, France, Hawaii) due to COVID in 2021, will feature 8 stops, combined men and women events with equal prize money starting next year.

Johanne Defay will be a clear fan-favorite in France Photo: © WSL / Poullenot

The festivities will launch in France with the Quiksilver and ROXY Junior Pro 40 from October 13-15, the final event for young surfers, that will crown the European Junior Champions. They will have a chance to perform on a world-class venue just days before some of the planet’s best surfers.

Stop No.3 on the Challenger Series, the main events, Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France will then welcome an A-list of competitors both in the male and female fields with already 20 current CT competitors enlisted as well as the top talents from the QS worldwide.

European stars Johanne Defay (FRA), Frederico Morais (PRT), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) and Michel Bourez (FRA) will headline alongside some of the best up-and-coming talents like Tahiti’s Kauli Vaast (FRA) and Vahine Fierro(FRA). Olympic surfing debut’s silver and bronze medalists Kanoa Igarashi(JPN) and Owen Wright (AUS) will also take part in the show as well as World No.2 Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) and Californian superstar Caroline Marks (USA).

Michel Bourez in the arena with crowds up close on the beach Photo: © WSL / Poullenot

Pressure will rise dramatically in France as these events will determine who makes the Top 80 men and Top 48 women who get a chance to compete at the final event in Hawaii.

The nine day waiting period in October sits in the prime window for great conditions in Southwest France and the competition site at Culs Nus beach offers a picture-perfect A-frame sandbank with opportunities to score both quality lefts and rights.

COVID-19 Updates

The health and safety of athletes, staff, and the local community are of the utmost importance and there are a robust set of procedures in place to keep everyone safe. Athletes, staff, media and the public will be required to show proof of the “Health Pass” before accessing any of the event facilities or the beach.

The WSL encourages fans to follow the event online and watch all the action LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.