From Bells Beach to Pipeline, the 2026 Championship Tour has been reshaped into a longer test of consistency, with Brazil’s Miguel Pupo opening the season by winning in Victoria and a points race now set to decide the world title in Hawaii.
Miguel Pupo’s Bells Beach win opens a new-look 2026 World Tour
The familiar cliffs and long right-handers of Bells Beach supplied the first chapter of the 2026 World Surf League Championship Tour, where Miguel Pupo took the event trophy. It is the beginning of a campaign with a markedly different rhythm: repechage heats have been removed, the Finals format has been abandoned, and Pipeline returns as the closing, title-defining stop.
For the previous five seasons, the world crown was settled through an end-of-year knockout event. This time, the surfer at the top of the ranking after the full campaign will be champion. The season therefore returns to a cumulative-points model, with each athlete allowed to discard three results across the year.
A calendar change in early September also altered the standings, including Italo Ferreira’s move from first place to second. The United Arab Emirates event was called off because of logistical difficulties, reducing the tour to 12 stops while leaving the championship format intact.
Four events remain. Trestles in California, scheduled for September, will determine the 22 men and 14 women who progress to the events at Peniche in Portugal and Cloud 9 in the Philippines. The final champions will be confirmed at the Pipe Masters in Hawaii in December.
Pipeline will retain an open door for every surfer who began the season, all of whom may contest the Hawaiian event itself. Only those who have reached the qualifying cut, however, will remain eligible for the overall world title.
Brazil’s ten-strong contingent heads through the season
Brazil has ten competitors on the 2026 Championship Tour: nine in the men’s field and Luana Silva in the women’s draw. The men’s group brings together reigning 2025 world champion Yago Dora, Filipe Toledo, Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira, João Chianca, Miguel Pupo, Samuel Pupo, Alejo Muniz and Mateus Herdy.
- Yago Dora
- Filipe Toledo
- Gabriel Medina
- Italo Ferreira
- João Chianca
- Miguel Pupo
- Samuel Pupo
- Alejo Muniz
- Mateus Herdy
- Luana Silva
Before the late-season journey from California to Europe, Asia and Hawaii, the tour also visits Brazil. Saquarema’s Praia de Itaúna hosts the sixth stop from 19 to 27 June. Brazilian audiences can follow each event live through Sportv and ge.globo.
SEO title: Miguel Pupo wins Bells Beach as 2026 World Surf Tour changes format
Meta description: Miguel Pupo claimed the Bells Beach event as the 2026 Championship Tour introduced a season-long points race, with Brazil represented by ten surfers.
