MEREWETHER BEACH, Newcastle, NSW, Australia (Sunday, June 1, 2025) - The 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series (CS), the ultimate battleground for Championship Tour (CT) qualification, is set to kick off tomorrow at the Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy. Stop No. 1 holds a competition window from June 2 through 8, 2025. The field of 80 men and 48 women, including both fresh-faced talent and returning CT battlers, will duke it out across the season, all with the hopes of earning a spot on the 2026 CT. The Race to the 2026 Championship Tour Starts in Newcastle
For the first time since 2019, Newcastle SURFEST will welcome a huge international field of the best up-and-coming surfers on the planet. Running its 39th year in 2025, SURFEST is one of the longest-running surf events in the world. Past winners include Kelly Slater (USA), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Tom Curren (USA), Layne Beachley (AUS), Mick Fanning (AUS), Frieda Zamba (USA) and Mark Occhilupo (AUS), to name a few. This year's winners will etch their names into the history books as they look to join the elite ranks in 2026.
Meet the 2025 Challenger Series Field
- The 2025 Challenger Series will host 80 men and 48 women at each event, comprised of athletes from the following groups:
- 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)
- The men's 2024 World Junior Champion
- The women's 2024 World Junior Champion
- Five men's and three women's wildcards per event
Challenger Series Field Breakdown
After hard-fought seasons on the 2024-2025 Qualifying Series in their respective regions, the likes of Sierra Kerr (AUS), Luke Thompson (RSA), Nanaho Tsuzuki (JPN), Kyuss King (AUS), Keijiro Nishi (JPN), Tya Zebrowski (FRA), Kirra Pinkerton (USA), and Wessley Dantas (BRA) will all be looking to take the next step on their competitive journey and step up to the elite Championship Tour by year's end.
Fresh from the disappointment of the Mid-season Cut, former CT competitors like Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Samuel Pupo (BRA), and Liam O'Brien (AUS) will want nothing more than to find their way back to the stage where they have all performed to their fullest.
Names like Julian Wilson (AUS) and Josh Kerr (AUS) previously stepped away from the competitive arena to focus on family, only to remind everyone that they still have what it takes to compete with the best.
With all of this variation in experience and expertise, the 2025 Challenger Series is shaping up to be one for the books, with all of the action kicking off at the historically iconic Newcastle SURFEST.
Men's 2025 Championship Tour Competitors Relegated to the Challenger Series:
- Jackson Bunch (HAW)
- Matthew McGillivray (RSA)
- Liam O'Brien (AUS)
- George Pittar (AUS)
- Ian Gouveia (BRA)
- Samuel Pupo (BRA)
- Deivid Silva (BRA)
- Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR)
- Edgard Groggia (BRA)
- Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Women's 2025 Championship Tour Competitors Relegated to the Challenger Series:
- Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
- Johanne Defay (FRA)
- Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA)
- Nadia Erostarbe (ESP)
Women's 2025 Championship Tour Competitors (Will Not Continue to 2025 CT Backhalf, Qualified for 2026 CT) Offered Spots on the Challenger Series:
- Sawyer Lindblad (USA)
- Vahine Fierro (FRA)
- Bella Kenworthy (USA)
- Brisa Hennessy (CRC)
Men's Top 10 2024 Challenger Series Requalifiers
- Mateus Herdy (BRA)
- Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
- Callum Robson (AUS)
- Hiroto Ohhara (JPN)
- Mikey McDonagh (AUS)
- Jordan Lawler (AUS)
- Winter Vincent (AUS)
- Morgan Cibilic (AUS)
- Levi Slawson (USA)
- Jacob Willcox (AUS)
Top 5 2024 Challenger Series Requalifiers
- Yolanda Hopkins (POR)
- Macy Callaghan (AUS)
- Sophia Medina (BRA)
- Alyssa Spencer (USA)
- Tessa Thyssen (FRA)
2024 World Junior Champions
- Bronson Meydi (INA)
- Kana Nakashio (JPN) (Runner-up)
2024 Challenger Series Regional Qualifiers
Africa
- Luke Thompson (RSA)
- Adin Masencamp (RSA)
- Connor Slijpen (RSA)
- Luke Slijpen (RSA)
- Thomas Lindhorst (RSA) - Regional Wildcard
- Louise Lepront (RSA)
- Jessie van Niekerk (RSA)
- Sarah Baum (RSA) - Regional Wildcard
Asia
- Keijiro Nishi (JPN)
- Riaru Ito (JPN)
- Shohei Kato (JPN)
- Joh Azuchi (JPN)
- Tenshi Iwami (JPN)
- Daiki Tanaka (JPN) - Regional Wildcard
- Nanaho Tsuzuki (JPN)
- Anon Matsuoka (JPN)
- Mirai Ikeda (JPN)
- Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN) - Regional Wildcard
Australia/Oceania
- Kyuss King (AUS)
- Xavier Huxtable (AUS)
- Oscar Berry (AUS)
- Jarvis Earle (AUS)
- Josh Kerr (AUS)
- Billy Stairmand
- Tully Wylie (AUS)
- Jackson Baker (AUS) - Regional Wildcard
- Sierra Kerr (AUS)
- Jahly Stokes (AUS)
- Oceanna Rogers (AUS)
- Willow Hardy (AUS)
- Ellie Harrison (AUS) - Regional Wildcard
Europe
- Jorgann Couzinet (FRA)
- Keoni Lasa (EUK)
- Charly Quivront (FRA)
- Afonso Antunes (POR)
- Yago Dominguez (EUK)
- Adur Amatriain (EUK)
- Maxime Huscenot (FRA)
- Frederico Morais (POR) - Regional Wildcard
- Tya Zebrowski (FRA)
- Francisca Veselko (POR)
- Anat Lelior (ISR)
- Annette Gonzalez Etxabarri (EUK)
- Teresa Bonvalot (POR) - Regional Wildcard
Hawaii/Tahiti Nui
- Shion Crawford (HAW)
- Finn McGill (HAW)
- Oliver Zietz (HAW)
- Luke Swanson (HAW)
- Luke Tema (HAW)
- Eli Hanneman (HAW) - Regional Wildcard
- Eweleiula Wong (HAW)
- Keala Tomoda-Bannert (HAW)
- Vaihitimahana Inso (HAW)
- Kiara Goold (HAW) - Regional Wildcard
North America
- Lucca Mesinas (PER)
- Jett Schilling (USA)
- Carlos Munoz (CRC)
- Taro Watanabe (USA)
- Lucas Cassity (USA)
- Dimitri Poulos (USA)
- Ryan Huckabee (USA)
- Nolan Rapoza (USA) - Regional Wildcard
- Kirra Pinkerton (USA)
- Reid Van Wagoner (USA)
- Sanoa Dempfle-Oliin (CAN)
- Leilani McGonagle (CRC)
- Zoe Benedetto (USA) - Regional Wildcard
South America
- Lucas Vicente (BRA)
- Franco Radziunas (ARG)
- Lucas Silveira (BRA)
- Peterson Crisanto (BRA)
- José Francisco (BRA)
- Wesley Leite(BRA)
- Igor Moraes (BRA)
- Jadson Andre (BRA) - Regional Wildcard
- Laura Raupp (BRA)
- Daniela Rosas (BRA)
- Arena Rodriguez (PER)
- Sol Aguirre (PER) - Regional Wildcard