World Surf League Announces Elite Stop on 2025 Championship Tour

While the full schedule hasn't been released yet, the World Surf League has announced a new and exciting stop on the 2025 Championship Tour.

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According to a press release, the World Surf League (WSL) announced Surf Abu Dhabi, located on Hudayriyat Island in Abu Dhabi, as a competition venue on the 2025 Championship Tour (CT), and as the third stop on the 2024 WSL Longboard Tour.

Modon Holding owns and operates Surf Abu Dhabi, a groundbreaking wave facility with technology from Kelly Slater Wave Company. KSWC produces world-leading wave technology to provide an incredible surf experience. Together, KSWC and Modon Holding created a "high-performance wave that will be an incredible canvas for the world's best surfing."

"We're looking forward to seeing what the Surf Abu Dhabi facility can deliver for the world's best surfers - and the broader surfing world - in the future," said Ryan Crosby, WSL CEO. "Both the evolving wave technology and the region itself present interesting opportunities for the WSL, and we're excited to see that come to life in the coming months."

"The collaboration with Kelly Slater Wave Company and Surf Abu Dhabi allows us to build a destination ready to welcome surfers from all levels and communities and nurture a new generation of surfers in the region. Together, we've created a facility that provides perfect waves time and time again, new wave profiles suitable for every level, and the uniqueness of this being the first saltwater-based wave pool. We can't wait to welcome the world's best surfers and all the new fans this region is bringing to the sport," said Bill O'Regan, Group CEO at Q Holding.

"The collaboration with the Kelly Slater Wave Company and Surf Abu Dhabi showcases our creation of a world-class facility that will provide perfect waves to a region to help grow an entirely new Surf Community in Abu Dhabi," said Jeff Fleeher, Kelly Slater Wave Company President. "The partnership with the WSL now amplifies this opportunity, creating a platform to showcase the world's best surfers to both new and existing fans, seated in the heart of Hudayriat Island's broader sports ecosystem."

The best of the best are on the World Surf League Championship Tour. The annual World Champions are crowned on the Tour. This announcement ensures that Surf Abu Dhabi will be an elite stop on the 2025 season. The WSL will release the full schedule of competitions for the 2025 CT following the Lexus WSL Finals. So far fans can expect to see the competitions at world-renoned venues including the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Snapper Rocks in Queensland, Australia, and Cloudbreak in Fiji.

According to the release, the WSL Longboard Tour will feature three international events leading into the one-day Championship in El Salvador. Surf Abu Dhabi will host the third stop of the Longboard Tour, the Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic Presented by Modon, from September 27 - 29, 2024.

This competition will play a critical role in determining the qualifiers for the Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships, which will crown the men's and women's Longboard World Champions in October.

Watch LIVE
The Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic Presented by Modon will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL's broadcast partners.