Two of the most decorated surfers of their generation, and two of Hawaii’s most influential athletes, are officially returning to the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour in 2026.
Three-time World Champion John John Florence and five-time World Champion and Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore have both been awarded the WSL Season Wildcard, setting the stage for one of the most star-studded rosters in the Tour’s fiftieth anniversary season.
Their announcements, delivered one week apart, instantly reshape the landscape of a year that is already one of the most anticipated in Championship Tour history. The 2026 season opens April 1 in Bells Beach and concludes at the Pipeline Masters on the North Shore of Oahu.
World Surf League
John John Florence Returns After a Year of Exploration and a World Title
John John Florence, who stepped away from full-time competition at the start of 2025 despite being the reigning World Champion, confirmed he will return to the 2026 CT.
“I really appreciate the WSL extending me this Wildcard,” Florence said. “Having the time to explore and surf new waves with my family at this point in our life has been a dream for us.”
Florence spent his year away sailing across the South Pacific with his wife Lauryn and their young son while filming an upcoming project with YETI. It marked a rare pause in a career that has unfolded almost entirely in the public eye.
Florence debuted on Tour in 2011 during the mid-season rotation at only 18 years old. By the end of 2012 he finished World Number Four, earned Rookie of the Year honors, and secured his first CT victory. Over the next decade he added accomplishments that placed him among the greatest surfers ever.
He has scored three World Titles, nine CT event wins, five Triple Crown championships, two Olympic appearances, and eighteen Perfect Ten rides. Florence is also the only surfer in history to win the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational and the World Title in the same season. His 2024 campaign marked a commanding return to form, culminating in a world title at the WSL Finals.
The 2026 Championship Tour schedule places him in familiar territory. Florence will begin the season at Bells Beach, where he has previously won, and finish at home on the North Shore with the Pipeline Masters, a heavy wave where he has built much of his legacy.
World Surf League
Carissa Moore Makes Her Comeback After Welcoming Her First Child
Just days after Florence’s announcement, Carissa Moore confirmed she will also return to the Championship Tour in 2026. Her comeback follows the birth of her first child and marks her first full CT season since stepping away after 2024.
“I am really excited for the opportunity to compete again,” Moore said. “To put my jersey back on after having a baby feels like such a win. I want my journey to show my daughter, and hopefully other women, that we can keep chasing our dreams even as life evolves.”
Moore’s impact on the sport began long before she reached the Tour full time. She won her first CT event in 2009 as a wildcard, then delivered a breakout rookie season in 2010 with two wins and three Finals appearances. In 2011, at age 18, she became the youngest World Champion in surfing history at the time.
Across thirteen seasons she established one of the most successful competitive records in the sport. She finished outside the top three only once, won twenty-eight CT events, claimed five World Titles, and earned Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games.
Moore’s last competition before her hiatus came at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she surfed the powerful Teahupoo reef break while two months pregnant, still reaching the Quarterfinals.
In addition to her competitive legacy, Moore’s influence extends through the Moore Aloha Foundation, which provides mentorship, empowerment, and resources for the next generation of girls in surfing.
Moore will begin the 2026 Championship Tour at Bells Beach and close the season at Pipeline, where world titles will likely be on the line.
A Historic Season Ahead
The 2026 Championship Tour promises to be one of the most exciting seasons in the history of professional surfing. With Florence and Moore returning alongside an already loaded field, competition levels will surge in both the men’s and women’s title races.
Both surfers begin their campaigns at Bells Beach on April first and finish at the Pipeline Masters in December, where the World Titles will be decided on home soil. For fans, the return of two Hawaii icons marks the opening of a new chapter — one shaped by family, resilience, legacy, and a renewed passion for competing on the world’s biggest stages.