WSL Finals: Preview, schedule and how to watch live as next world surfing champions are crowned
The men's and women's WSL Championship Tour champions will be decided between 8 and 16 September in a one-day, winner-takes-all spectacle at Lower Trestles, California. Here is everything you need to know.
Surfing
The wait to find out the next world champions in surfing is almost over as the 2023 season of the World Surf League's (WSL) Championship Tour comes down to the final 10 men and women going head-to-head at Lower Trestles, California.
Five male and five female surfers remain in contention for the world titles after 10 events across five continents. Defending champion Filipe Toledo and Olympic champion Carissa Moore go into the WSL Finals as the top seeds, but with shaky results leading up to the competition, it will take an effort to maintain that top standing through to the final whistle.
The competition in Lower Trestles will also decide whether Tokyo 2020 Olympian Caroline Marks or Championship Tour rookie Caitlin Simmers will secure the final Olympic women's quota available for USA through the WSL Championship Tour.
The other eight surfers have already secured provisional quotas for their National Olympic Committees (NOCs) at earlier events.
WSL Finals: One-day, winner-takes-all format
The WSL Finals have a unique format that differs from that of the regular Championship Tour season.
Instead of three and two-surfer heats, the competition will be played out in a single day starting with the match-ups between the fourth and fifth seeds. The winner of that heat will advance to the next stage to face the third seed and so forth, until facing the world No.1 in a best out of three title match for the world title.
The winners of the men's and women's competitions will be crowned on the same day.
Men's Final Five: Top seed Toledo looking to defend title
Brazil's Filipe Toledo heads into his third consecutive WSL Finals with three victories on the record since January 2023. Aside from a surprising Round of 32 exit at Portugal Pro in March, the defending champion has not finished outside the Top 10 this season.
While Toledo has shown great mental fortitude in recent months - even winning El Salvador Pro despite severe back pain - there are still plenty of challenges to overcome on his road to the Championship Tour trophy.
The biggest one comes from USA’s Griffin Colapinto. The 25-year-old California native topped the rankings for the first time in his career after winning Surf Ranch Pro earlier in the season. After narrowly missing the Final Five in 2022, Colapinto comes to his first WSL finals as the second seed and hungrier than ever to dazzle on the home waves.
Joao Chianca has also enjoyed a top ranking this season. The Brazilian youngster showed particular skill at the start of the year, including a career's first win at Portugal Pro. While his results have dipped since then, the earlier No.1 rank has helped him clinch a forth seed position at Lower Trestles.
Chianca will face off against Australian fifth seed Jack Robinson in the first match. Robinson was the last to claim a Final Five spot after winning Tahiti Pro in August.
Fellow Australian Ethan Ewing has also booked his spot in the finals, as the third seed. Ewing's entry remains in doubt, however, as he suffered a back injury during a free surf session in Tahiti, though he has since resumed training.
Women’s Final Five: Carissa Moore back as top seed
The unpredictability and drama of the winner-takes-all format was on full display last season when fifth seed Stephanie Gilmore battled her way up through the stages until taking down top seed Carissa Moore in the title match.
Moore returns to Lower Trestles now, once again as the top seed and determined not to let the same scenario play out.
It has been a solid season for the Olympic champion who started off with a victory in the opener at Pipeline and followed that up with two more wins. The last, at Surf Ranch Pro, took her back to the top of the rankings.
The five-time world champion has not been able to make the final since though, getting eliminated by three of the surfers she could face in the final at Lower Trestles – Marks, Simmers, and Australian Molly Picklum. Moore has had more success against Tyler Wright, defeating her in two finals this season, but as the regular season closed in Tahiti, the two-time world champion from Australia was just 425 points behind Moore in the rankings.
The first match for the women's world title will be a head-to-head between the sport's most promising young talents, 17-year-old Caitlin Simmers and 20-year-old Molly Picklum both of which made the Final Five for the first time.
Simmers needs to beat Picklum to advance to the next stage where she would face third seed Caroline Marks. The outcome of that head-to-head would then determine which of the surfers will secure the final women's quota available to the United States through the Championship Tour.
Since National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at Paris 2024 depends on their NOC selecting them for the delegation.
WSL Finals: How to watch live
The Rip Curl WSL Finals will be held on one day between 8 and 16 September. The specific competition day will be chosen depending on weather and wave conditions.
All the WSL Championship Tour events are streamed live on the WSL website and YouTube page.