What You Need to Know About The World Surf League’s 2022 Rip Curl Finals

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The World Surf League’s final 2022 showdown – the Rip Curl WSL Finals – is quickly approaching. For months, the world’s top competitors have been facing off around the globe, vying for a spot in the finals. Now, the competition is set to take place at Lower Trestles, California during a waiting period that spans from September 8 – 16.

Why does the WSL need a waiting period? To ensure the biggest, baddest waves possible.

Over the next week, Southern Hemisphere swells will pulse over the cobblestone beach to create some of the most high-performance waves in the world. Once the waves arrive, the competition’s top five male and female surfers will finally have the chance to battle for the world title.

World Surf League

The Backstory

The Rip Curl WSL Finals: A Coveted Showdown a Year in The Making

Over the last year, 36 men and 18 women competed in 10 regular-season WSL events as part of the 2022 Championship Tour. The events stretched across seven different countries, including El Salvador, Portugal and Tahiti, and called for two rounds of cuts. Now, the original 54 participants have been whittled down to a core five men and five women who will take centerstage at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California.

The beach is considered one of the most competitive surfing spots in the world – boasting ‘a world-class A-frame peak with perfect lefts and rights,’ (meaning it’s perfect for both goofy and regular footers).

The Gist

Who Are the Top Competitors in the 2022 WSL Rip Curl Finals?

On the men’s side, Filipe Toledo leads the pack with 54,690 points. Hailing from Brazil, Toledo won rookie of the year in 2013 and currently holds 29 heat wins. This year, he placed first in two events – the Oi Rio Pro and the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach – and placed runner-up in last year’s final showdown.

On the women’s side, Carissa Moore boasts a 7,450 point lead over the competition –– having earned a total of 57,670 points during the season. The five time world champion will represent Hawaii in this year’s competition, and originally won rookie of the year back in 2010. She clocked her first WSL win the next year in 2011, and has since won the title in 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2021.

At the top of the Rip Curl WSL Finals, the top two surfers going into the event (i.e. the men’s and women’s participants currently ranked #1) automatically gain entry to the final head-to-head match.

For the other four participants, the Ripcurl WSL Finals includes three additional matches that lead up to the title match. In the first, the surfers currently ranked fourth and fifth will face off. The winner of this match will then go against the third-ranked surfer, and so on until the final event.

Our POV

With So Much at Stake, the 2022 Showdown Will Be One For the Books

Both Felipe Toledo and Carissa Moore are sure to bring their A-game to this final showdown. With Toledo having placed second last year, and Moore having earned the 2021 title, neither will want to forfeit the win in 2022.

That said, with former world champions on either side – specifically Italo Ferreira and Stephanie Gilmore – the competition is sure to be fierce. Fans can watch the competition live on WorldSurfLeague.com, the free WSL app, and the WSL’s YouTube channel.

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