WSL Hits Replay On Scaled Down Version Of Challenger Series For 2024

Wondering if the WSL was going to beef up the Challenger Series schedule after slashing Haleiwa and France last year?

Here’s your answer:

The Woz has announced their 2024 Challenger Series schedule, which is essentially a carbon copy of 2023’s lean/mean qualifying tour. Like last year, there will be no Round of 96 (the humanity!), with 80 men and 48 women vying for 10 and 5 CT spots respectively.

The spots will be allocated as follows:

• 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, North America, Europe, and South America all receive 7 spots and a wildcard, Hawaii and Asia both receive 5 spots and a wildcard, Africa receives 4 spots and a wildcard)
• The men’s 2023 World Junior Champion
• The women’s 2023 World Junior Champion
• Five men’s and three women’s wildcards per event.

Should be exciting to see how the field fares in the absence of the bulk of 2% — unless of course the Smoochers all miss the mid-year cut.

See you in April.