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> News > World Surf League Europe Announces 2021 Challenger Series Schedule and Qualifiers

surfing News

World Surf League Europe Announces 2021 Challenger Series Schedule and Qualifiers

Pictured: The Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France comes back in 2021 as a Challenger Series event. Image credit: / WSL / Poullenot

07 July 2021

The World Surf League (WSL) announces the calendar for the upcoming 2021 Challenger Series, the ultimate battleground for surfers to showcase their talents for the chance to qualify for the following season of the elite-level Championship Tour (CT). The Challenger Series will include four stops this condensed season with events in California, Portugal, France and Hawaii.

“We’re very excited to bring the Challenger Series to life in 2021,” said WSL CEO, Erik Logan. “These four events will not only provide an enhanced showcase for the up and coming surfers, but will also allow those who fail to requalify through the CT the opportunity to perform well and requalify for the 2022 Championship Tour.”

The 2021 Challenger Series will kick off with the US Open of Surfing from September 20 - 26 in Huntington Beach, California. The WSL, Vans, and IMG look forward to returning the Vans US Open to its regularly scheduled spot in August 2022. Surfers will then head to Europe for the MEO Pro Ericeira, scheduled for October 2 - 10 in Portugal, followed by the Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France, from October 16 - 24 in the Landes. The season will wrap in Hawaii, at the Haleiwa Challenger, from November 25 to December 7.

“This new level of competition will provide greater opportunity for CT qualification as well as give visibility to the next generation of surfers,” said Jessi Miley-Dyer, SVP of Tours and Head of Competition. "I can’t wait to see who will qualify for the tour in 2022.”

The 2021 Challenger Series calendar will run as follows*:

- US Open of Surfing (Men's & Women's): Huntington Beach, California, USA

September 20 - 26, 2021

- MEO Pro Ericeira (Men's & Women's): Ericeira, Portugal

October 2 - 10, 2021

- Quiksilver/ROXY Pro France (Men's & Women's): Capbreton/Hossegor/Seignosse, Landes, France

October 16 - 24, 2021

- Haleiwa Challenger (Men's & Women's): Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA

November 25 - December 7, 2021

*All tour stops and dates are subject to change due to applicable COVID-19 related restrictions, including global travel restrictions.

The Challenger Series field will include 96 men and 64 women, made up of 34 men and 17 women from the CT, 58 men and 44 women that are allocated by the WSL regions, two men’s and women’s World Junior wildcards, and two men’s and one women’s wildcards. Any unused CT spots will become wildcards.

This season, athletes will be able to roll over points from their best Qualifying Series event in 2020. The 2021 Challenger Series rankings will be comprised of a surfer’s best three results out of five events, the four 2021 events and one 2020 event.

WSL Europe Unveils Qualifiers List

Following three successful events in the 2020/21 Qualifying Series season, the Estrella Galicia Santa Cruz Pro pres. by Noah Surf House, the Estrella Galicia Caparica Surf Fest and the ABANCA Pantin Classic Galicia Pro, the European region has qualified 10 men and 8 women for this year's Challenger Series events.

Men's European Top10:

1 - Vasco Ribeiro (PRT)

2 - Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) // CT Qualifier**

3 - Joan Duru (FRA)

4 - Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR)

5 - Kauli Vaast (FRA)

6 - Timothée Bisso (FRA)

7 - Tristan Guilbaud (FRA)

8 - Charly Quivront (FRA)

9 - Ruben Vitoria (FRA)

10 - Maxime Huscenot (FRA)

11 - Charles Martin (FRA)

Women's European Top8:

1 - Leticia Canales Bilbao (ESP)

2 - Pauline Ado (FRA)

3 - Vahine Fierro (FRA)

4 - Maud Le Car (FRA)

5 - Johanne Defay (FRA) // CT Qualifier**

6 - Eveline Hooft (NLD)

7 - Teresa Bonvalot (PRT)

8 - Garazi Sanchez Ortun (EUK)

9 - Rachel Presti (DEU)

** Championship Tour athletes automatically have a spot on the Challenger Series and do not require the regional allocation.

COVID-19 Protocols

The health and safety of our athletes, staff, and the local community are of the utmost importance and the WSL has a robust set of procedures in place to keep everyone safe. These plans are unique to each event and include measures like testing for athletes and essential staff, masks and strict physical distancing measures, temperature checks, and minimal personnel on-site.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

About the WSL

Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is the home of the world's best surfing.

A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world's largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.

The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties.

Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com.

WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.

The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.

Press Release Source: worldsurfleague.com (HOSSEGOR, France (Wednesday, July 7, 2021)