WSL ANNOUNCES 2024 CHALLENGER SERIES
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The World Surf League (WSL) releases the schedule for the 2024 Challenger Series, the ultimate battleground for surfers vying to qualify for the elite Championship Tour (CT) in 2025.
The 2024 Challenger Series will start in April in Australia after CT Stop No. 5 with an event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast and another in Sydney at North Narrabeen. Next up, the tour heads to Ballito, South Africa, followed by the US Open of Surfing in early August and a stop in Portugal at the end of September. The Challenger Series concludes in October in Brazil, where the top 10 ranked men and top five ranked women will be decided and qualify to join the world’s best surfers on the 2025 Championship Tour. Competitors will count their four best results out of the six events.
2024 WSL Challenger Series Schedule:
Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia): April 27 – May 4, 2024
North Narrabeen, Sydney (New South Wales, Australia): May 9 – 16, 2024
Ballito (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa): July 1 – 8, 2024
Huntington Beach (California, USA): August 3 – 11, 2024
Ericeira (Portugal): September 29 – October 6, 2024
Saquarema (Brazil): October 12 – 20, 2024
The 2024 Challenger Series fields will continue to be made up of 80 men and 48 women. Also continuing from last season, CT surfers who make the Mid-Season Cut will not be required to compete at Challenger Series events, though they can apply for an event wildcard if they wish to compete. CT surfers who fall below the Mid-Season Cut and miss CT requalification will automatically qualify for all Challenger Series events.
“We’re three years into the Challenger Series format, and it feels really good to see this Series build and solidify its place in the competition pathway,” said Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL Chief of Sport. “48 surfers have earned their place in the Championship Tour via their performances in the Challenger Series since 2021, and the 2024 season will see 15 more join them.”
The 2024 Challenger Series, which is the second of a three-tier competition structure, will be comprised of athletes from the following:
- 12 men and seven women from the CT who did not make the Mid-season Cut,
- 10 men and five women from the previous year’s Challenger Series rankings,
- Three men and two women who were CT surfers in the prior season that did not requalify for either the CT or the Challenger Series,
- 49 men and 30 women as allocated by the seven WSL regions (Australia/Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe, Hawaii/Tahiti Nui, North America, and South America), and
- The men’s 2023 World Junior Champion,
- The women’s 2023 World Junior Champion, and
- Five men’s and three women’s wildcards per event.
Watch LIVE
The Challenger Series will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the free WSL app, and the WSL’s YouTube channel. Also, check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
First Stop: Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast
The first stop on the 2024 Challenger Series will be held at Snapper Rocks in Queensland, Australia. The competition window will open on April 27 and run through May 4, 2024. Additionally, this event is excited to welcome the inaugural EPIIC Festival to Coolangatta Beach on May 4, which will see former WSL QS Surfer Paul FISHER headlining a huge line-up. Stay tuned to www.epiicfestival.com for announcements in the new year!
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
About the WSL
The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning the World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves. WSL is comprised of the Tours and Competition division, which oversees and operates more than 180 global competitions each year; Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC), home of the world‘s largest high-performance, human-made wave; and WSL Studios, an independent producer of unscripted and scripted projects.
