<p>Surfs up, the 2025 WSL is about to commence. Beginning on January 27 at Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, the new World Surf League season will encompass 12 gruelling stops around the globe.</p> <p>With a number of Aussies in serious contention in both the men and women’s brackets, and two major tour stops Down Under, there has never been a better time to turn your attention towards the world of surfing.</p> <p>In a stunning development, reigning champion John John Florence has announced he will be sitting out of the 2025 WSL season to focus on other things.</p> <p>Naturally Florence was one of the favourites for the 2025 World Surf League title, but now his withdrawal has guaranteed that the most coveted prize in men’s surfing will end up in someone else's hands.&nbsp;</p> <p>Who will that be? Who will stand tall and who will wipe out? For all the latest news, analysis and odds, for the 2025 World Surf League, check out our WSL predictions and preview below.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>WSL Predictions 2025 – Men’s Bracket</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Griffin Colapinto</h3> <p>It feels like American prodigy Griffin Colapinto has been on the cusp of a world title for the last 2-3 years, is 2025 finally the year he makes it stick?</p> <p>He's possibly the most well-rounded surfer on tour, in terms of air game, big wave surfing (barrel and open face) and his smaller wave game.</p> <p>Colapinto has matured really well over the last few years on tour and will be a threat at every single stop in 2025.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Jack Robinson</h3> <p>One of Australia's two homegrown heroes, Jack Robinson seems ready to bring the WSL crown back Down Under.</p> <p>Robinson has always been heralded as one of the WSL’s premier big wave specialists. In addition to this, over the last few years he's also really rounded out his entire skillset and addressed any holes that were present in waves of less consequence.</p> <p>Considering this year's finals are at the notoriously monstrous Cloudbreak, expect him to feature extremely heavily when it matters most.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Ethan Ewing</h3> <p>Widely regarded as the most stylish surfer on the circuit, Ethan Ewing’s style has been closely tied to surfers such as the late, great Andy Irons and fellow Aussie Joel Parkinson over the years.</p> <p>He's consistently been wrapping up 1-2 tour stop wins over the last two seasons, alongside an established place in the top five - is this the year he makes the jump up to No.1?</p> <p>Similar to his compatriot Robinson, it’s clear that Ewing has worked tirelessly over the last few seasons to patch up any small weaknesses in his overall game.</p> <p>This has meant more time in waves of consequence and with the WSL opening event at Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, we should get an excellent read of where he is currently at.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Italo Ferreira</h3> <p>Last, but certainly not least, we have 2019 World Champion, Brazilian Italo Ferreira</p> <p>Ferreira surprised many fans last year, snagging 2nd place - after many thought he was likely over the hill.</p> <p>His resurgence has been complimented however by the WSL Finals being at Trestles over the last few years - expect this advantage to be diminished somewhat as the tour ends at Cloudbreak this season.</p> <p>All in all, Ferreira is a savvy vet that can never be fully counted out of the running for the World Surf League Championship.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>WSL Men’s World Champion Prediction: </strong>Jack Robinson – the last two stops on tour, Teahupo'o and Cloudbreak, will cater perfectly to Robinson’s strengths, with their big, heavy, hollow waves.</p> <p>After a few consistent seasons within the top five, this feels like Jack’s time to shine.</p>

<h2>WSL Predictions 2025 – Women’s Bracket</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Caitlin Simmers</h3> <p>Young American Caitlin Simmers locked up her maiden WSL title last year after a dominant and consistent season.</p> <p>She's at the forefront of innovation in women's surfing at the moment, particularly in terms of airs and barrel riding.</p> <p>We’re expecting this dominance to continue as she matures, as she is still only 19 years old.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Caroline Marks</h3> <p>Another American with some serious skills, last year Caroline Marks proved why she is going to be a mainstay at the top of the women's tour for years to come.</p> <p>Caroline got top marks across a diverse range of tour stops and waves last year with a number of impressive performances and we’re expecting her to feature heavily again this year.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Molly Picklum</h3> <p>The great Australian hope, much like Simmers, Molly Picklum represents the evolution of women’s surfing.</p> <p>At just 22 years of age, Molly still has plenty of maturing to do on tour, but with a few years under her belt, now feels like the right time for her to make a run at the WSL title.</p> <p>Last year, she started off extremely strong, with a win at Pipe, so we are expecting similar early momentum this year.</p> <p>Picklum continues to push the limits of women's barrel riding on tour. This year's WSL schedule looks particularly favourable for surfers who cater to hollow, heavy waves of consequence, meaning that 2025 could very well be Molly’s year.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Bettylou Sakura Johnson</h3> <p>Another young talent, Bettylou Johnson represents the next wave of elite female surfers coming out of Hawaii.</p> <p>She's arguably taken slightly longer to establish a foothold on the championship tour, but has shown glimpses of promise, with strong performances at multiple, tricky tour stops over the last few years. She is certainly one to watch in 2025.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>WSL Women’s World Champion Prediction:</strong> Molly Picklum – Australia’s leading female surfer was sitting pretty through the first half of last season in the yellow jersey, prior to having a few uncharacteristic performances.</p> <p>We’d wager she's taken some valuable learnings from last season and will be very motivated to make a run at the title again. As mentioned earlier, this year's schedule caters well to her surfing - in particular, the heavy, barrelling waves we'll be seeing at Pipe, Cloudbreak and Teahupo'o.</p>

<h2>WSL 2025 Schedule and Dates</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Stop No. 1:</strong> Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii, USA, January 27 - February 8.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 2:&nbsp;</strong> Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE, February 14 – 16.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 3: </strong>Peniche, Portugal, March 15 – 25.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 4:</strong> Punta Roca, El Salvador, April 2 – 12.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 5:</strong> Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia, April 18 – 28.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 6: </strong>Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia, May 3 – 13.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 7:</strong> Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia, May 17 – 27.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 8:</strong> Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif., USA, June 9 – 17.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 9:</strong> Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 21 – 29.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 10:</strong> Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, July 11 – 20.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 11:</strong> Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia, August 7 – 16.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Stop No. 12:</strong> WSL Finals - Cloudbreak, Fiji, August 27 - September 4.</p>