Western Australia’s Jack Robinson was among the world’s best surfers to gather for the official opening ceremony of the 2025 WSL Finals in Fiji. The event began with a traditional Fijian welcome, filled with song, dance and ceremony, setting the tone for what promises to be a historic week in world surfing.
Beyond the celebration, major news was unveiled, with Fiji Tourism and the WSL confirming a new agreement securing Championship Tour events at Cloudbreak through 2029, ensuring the world’s best surfers will return to the South Pacific for at least another five years.
With the waiting period for the Finals now underway, all eyes are on the forecast. While huge surf is not expected at Cloudbreak, a solid pulse is on the horizon, with September 2 or 3 shaping up as the most promising days in the window. For Robinson, who arrives in Fiji fresh off his victory at the Tahiti Pro, the combination of Cloudbreak’s raw power and his proven barrel-riding mastery could set the stage for his long-awaited maiden World Title.
Read the full WSL media statement below.
Final 5 Surfers Ready to Challenge for 2025 World Titles at Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero
The women’s and men’s Final 5 surfers of the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero, the final stop on the World Surf League (WSL) 2025 Championship Tour (CT), are fresh off the back of an incredible season and ready to fight for the 2025 World Titles at Cloudbreak, Fiji. The one-day, winner-take-all competition will run on the single best day of waves during the waiting period of August 27 through September 4, 2025
The first call update for the competition will be tomorrow, Wednesday, August 27, at at 7:30 a.m. GMT+12 (3:30am Perth time).
Meet the Surfers Competing for the 2025 World Titles
First-time No. 1 WSL Finals seeds, Molly Picklum (AUS) and Yago Dora (BRA), lead a hungry pack of contenders, with the women’s field defined by its youth, and the men’s field filled with veterans.
Picklum is joined by the two most recent women’s World Champions, Caity Simmers (USA) and Caroline Marks (USA), along with Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW). Both WSL Finals newcomers, Bryan and Johnson, are the only Hawaiians other than five-time World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) and three-time World Champion John John Florence (HAW) to appear in the format.
Hot on Dora’s heels is the resurgent Jordy Smith (RSA), a two-time World Title runner-up intent on finally claiming the crown. Behind them lie two men with momentum on their side, Tahiti Pro finalists Griffin Colapinto (USA) and Jack Robinson (AUS), as well as Italo Ferreira (BRA), the 2019 World Champion who has surfed all the way from Match 1 to the Title Match not once, but twice.
Women’s No. 1 Seed: Molly Picklum (AUS)
Previously entering the WSL Finals as the No. 4 seed for two years running, Molly Picklum (AUS) has turned in a phenomenally consistent season that sees her leading the regular-season rankings for 2025 by a significant margin. The only woman with prior Finals experience to not yet win a World Title, the 22-year-old arrives in Fiji off the back of four straight Finals, two of which she won, including the VIVO Rio Pro and Lexus Tahiti Pro. Picklum has been a standout in every condition the season has thrown at her. She made at least the Semifinals in eight out of 11 events, and placed in the Final in locations as diverse as Surf Abu Dhabi, Lower Trestles, Saquarema, Jeffreys Bay, and Teahupo’o. The Australian’s backhand barrel mastery at Pipeline and Teahupo’o provided some of the season’s finest moments, and you can bet she’ll be itching for more when her Title Match kicks off at Cloudbreak.
Men’s No. 1 Seed: Yago Dora (BRA)
Yago Dora (BRA) is a surfer’s surfer. The 29-year-old Brazilian tops off a classic style, clinical backhand, and deft control of the barrel with one of the most advanced air-games in the world, drawing effusive praise from every aspect of the surfing world. Competing in his seventh season on Tour, Dora won his second and third CT events, the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal and Lexus Trestles Pro, this season. A runner-up finish in the penultimate regular-season event, the Corona Cero Open J-Bay, saw Dora peaking at the right moment to earn the Yellow Leader Jersey for the first time in his career. Initially appearing in yellow at the recently wrapped Lexus Tahiti Pro, Dora now carries the prime position into his first chance at claiming a World Title in Fiji. With Brazilian men claiming the World Championship for seven of the past 10 seasons, Dora is excited to finally be in contention to add his name to the legacy.
“I think I’m the most proud that I always believed,” Dora said. “Even when I thought heats were not going my way, I believed until the last second and I turned a lot of very hard heats in the last minutes during this year. I’ve always been kind of a team player, you know, trying to let the other guys shine and like, stay on the sidelines a little bit. But yeah, I’ve been trying to put myself first. I know the potential I have. I know I can be fighting for these World Titles not only this year but in many years to come. That’s what I want to achieve in my career. I want to make the most of it and win events, win Titles, that’s what I want to do.”
“To be coming into Finals number one, it’s what you dream of,” Picklum said. “So to be here, and to have this opportunity, I’m just so grateful. I’m really proud of myself and my whole team and everyone who’s gotten around me all year. It’s been a magical year. To win at the top is kind of the hardest part, when you’re being chased, like you’re the target. It’s what I want to do better and better, so for me, it’s exactly where I want to be. It doesn’t scare me anymore, it doesn’t really faze me. I feel so much different this year, I’m not grasping on to feeling like I need to win, I just believe I can, so it’ll happen when it happens.”
Women’s No. 2 Seed: Gabriela Bryan (HAW)
The most powerful surfer on Tour, Gabriela Bryan (HAW), has come into her own in 2025. The 23-year-old delivered highlight after highlight throughout the season, largely a result of her explosive frontside hack. After three prior seasons of needing a result in Margaret River to survive the Mid-season Cut, Bryan arrived in Australia this season in control of the Yellow Leader Jersey for the first time in her career. A runner-up finish in Portugal and victory in El Salvador may have landed her as World No. 1, but her solidification came thanks to a win in Western Australia for the second year in a row. Two CT wins in a season weren’t enough, however, as a third awaited in Jeffreys Bay. With a previous best ranking of No. 7, it’s safe to say this is truly a breakout season for the 2022 Rookie of the Year. Experiencing a devastating early loss at Fiji in 2024 to miss out on the WSL Finals by one heat, Bryan is determined to turn her fortunes around at a location she adores.
“I can’t even believe it,” said Bryan. “We are here in Fiji. It is easily one of the most beautiful countries and places I’ve ever been to. The people are amazing, you really just feel the love and energy and they’re so welcoming. One hundred percent it’s a dream of mine to become a World Champion. I was very young when I first thought that. Looking back, it was just a crazy dream for a little girl, but now I’m here and I have an amazing opportunity to go and get that. Mostly, I just want to make everybody proud and hopefully bring the World Title back to Kauaʻi.”
Men’s No. 2 Seed: Jordy Smith (RSA)
Jordy Smith (RSA) is no stranger to a World Title campaign, placing World No. 2 in both 2010 and 2016, and finishing 10 of his 17 seasons on the CT within the Top 10. The Tour’s oldest member at 37 years old, Smith’s resurgence this season to claim the Yellow Leader Jersey for one third of the regular season, his first time in yellow since 2017, has been celebrated by surf fans worldwide. The South African’s journey to the top of the rankings was driven by victories in El Salvador and Margaret River, marking his first event wins since 2017. While Smith has always been one to openly speak his mind, 2025 has brought that same sense of enjoyment and freedom to his heat surfing, resulting in some of his finest performances yet.
“I’m just so stoked, bro,” Smith said. “I just told myself, ‘I know you can do this, Jordan,’ and I just believed in myself to the end. Now I’ve clinched, I’m like, now we’re having fun, boy.”
Women’s No. 3 Seed: Caity Simmers (USA)
The effortless style and entirely unique lines of Caity Simmers (USA) were on full display once again in 2025. Owing to her status as the defending World Champion, Simmers opened the season with another incredible performance at Pipeline to place runner-up. A win at Surf Abu Dhabi immediately followed, keeping the 19-year-old on top of the rankings for the majority of the first half of the year. Another Final at Margaret River highlighted one of the season’s defining features – the distinct contrast in approach between the two women leading the rankings at the time, Simmers and Gabriela Bryan (HAW). Entering her third consecutive WSL Finals from three seasons on Tour, the Californian is determined to once again finish the season on top and back up her 2024 World Title.
“It honestly feels really good to have the spot in the Final 5,” Simmers said. “This year, I’m so grateful I’m not in first place. My head was so whacked last year before the contest. I feel like this year it’s a completely different mindset of going into it, just having nowhere to go but up. I love winning. I think I just hate losing more than I love winning. So, I still try to win.”
Men’s No. 3 Seed: Griffin Colapinto (USA)
The two halves of Griffin Colapinto’s (USA) 2025 season could not have been more different. Free-falling down the rankings from the very first event, Colapinto was in serious danger of the Mid-season Cut for the first time in his seven-season CT career. A Semifinal finish at Bells preceded a phenomenal upward trajectory; however, seeing the 27-year-old place in three Finals and two Semifinals across the five events prior to Fiji. Runner-up finishes in Western Australia, Brazil, and Tahiti included mind-blowing performances, highlighted by a Perfect 10-point ride in Margaret River. Needing a major result at Teahupo’o to break into the Final 5 for the first time all season, the Californian got to work, jumping himself to exactly the same position he had occupied for the past two WSL Finals events as the No. 3 seed. The defending Fiji Pro event winner, Colapinto, just might keep that trajectory going all the way to the top.
“The way I started this year was my worst start ever,” Colapinto said. “It’s how you react to that adversity that makes the difference and those little moments over time, I feel like, have made things go my way in situations where I need them to go my way.”
Women’s No. 4 Seed: Caroline Marks (USA)
Though the 2025 regular-season results of Caroline Marks (USA) might not quite match the accolades collected in the previous two seasons, the 23-year-old has kept pace with the field and could easily repeat the performances that saw her win the World Title in 2023 and place runner-up in 2019 and 2024. Her victory in Portugal was followed by a string of bad results before the Paris 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist reclaimed her consistency. The Floridian placed in the Semifinals of the last three events of the regular season, moving back into the Final 5 at exactly the right moment. Long known for the strength of her backhand, Marks has proven in recent years that her forehand has been seriously overlooked, and there’s no better place to showcase that than fighting for a World Title at Cloudbreak, especially as the only goofy-footer in the women’s draw.
“Fiji is just such a great place, and Cloudbreak is one of the best waves in the world,” Marks said. “That adds so much motivation when the Finals are at such a good wave, so we’re psyched for sure.”
Men’s No. 4 Seed: Jack Robinson (AUS)
In 2023, Jack Robinson (AUS) achieved the seemingly impossible. Entering the final regular-season event in Tahiti needing a win to claim a place in the Final 5, Robinson locked into his trademark zen mode and did exactly that. Now, in 2025, the 27-year-old Australian has repeated that performance, winning the Lexus Tahiti Pro and jumping a full four places in the rankings to enter his fourth straight WSL Finals as the No. 4 seed. Though he accrued a roller-coaster of results in 2025, Robinson continued his four-season tradition of winning two CT events per year, adding the iconic Bells Beach trophy to his growing collection. The Paris 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist, Robinson occupies rarified air among the all-time best in the barrel, a skill that could see him finally claim his maiden World Title.
“Right where we’re meant to be,” Robinson said. “I had a mission and I went for it. It comes down to the last one and right there again. Let’s go. It’s really special to be here. It’s really calm, it’s really nice. It’s the people and everyone who lives here, good vibes. It’s nice to be back, one island to another island, very special. That’s what’s best about our sport, is the environment that you compete in. I think it’s the best environment that we could ask for out of any sport in the whole world. In the ocean you always have to adapt and move with it, so I think that’s the coolest thing about our sport.”
Women’s No. 5 Seed: Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)
Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) started out the year with major changes to her team, moving away from her longtime board sponsor and coach. Initially struggling to make heats, Johnson clicked into gear halfway through the season and turned her year around in a big way. The 20-year-old claimed a massive breakthrough CT win on Australia’s Gold Coast and backed it up just two events later with a second victory at the Lexus Trestles Pro. Improving her ranking every year since her Rookie season in 2022, Johnson’s leap forward in 2025 has been significant, showcasing the Hawaiian’s power and precision in all conditions to back up the heavy water expertise exhibited throughout her career.
“[The Final 5] has been a goal of mine this whole year, so to be able to clinch it here at the last event is pretty surreal,” Johnson said. “I’m just super happy with my performance this whole year to get me into this spot. We’re going to Fiji!”
Men’s No. 5 Seed: Italo Ferreira (BRA)
The only current men’s World Champion in the mix, Italo Ferreira (BRA), has surfed more WSL Finals heats than anyone. The 31-year-old has progressed from Match 1 all the way to the Title Match two times, in 2022 and 2024, to finish runner-up to the World Title. Following his 2019 win at Pipeline to claim the Title, and his claim to the first men’s Olympic Gold Medal in surfing, Ferreira’s fortunes have been mixed. 2025 kicked off with a dream run for the Brazilian however, with a Semifinal finish at Pipe, victory in Abu Dhabi and runner-up placing in Portugal landing him in the Yellow Leader Jersey longer than any other surfer this season. A string of bad results in Australia saw him begin to slide, and by the time the Lexus Tahiti Pro wrapped, Ferreira found himself as the No. 5 seed headed into Fiji. Unfazed, Ferreira is stoked to have another opportunity to fight for his second World Title.
“I’m so stoked to make this happen,” Ferreira said. “I started the year so good, so well. And then I had a break between those results and the last couple of events. But I feel so glad. I just want to thank God for the opportunity to live this moment and to live this dream. It’s special. I feel really happy to have the opportunity to start from the bottom and then go to the top. That’s what I’m looking for. I’ve done this a couple times, but I’ve finished second, so now I want the first. I want to do one-by-one again to the top. That’s what I’m looking for.”
Watch LIVE
The Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero is the final stop on the 2025 WSL Championship Tour, where the Top 5 men and Top 5 women will compete for the 2025 World Titles. The competition window opens on Wednesday, August 27, and runs through Thursday, September 4, 2025. The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
The Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero is proudly supported by Lexus, Tourism Fiji, Corona Cero, Red Bull, YETI, Bonsoy, mophie, Fiji Airways, Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay, Tavarua Island Resort, I-SEA, Surfline, and True Surf.
For full updates, heat draws, rankings and behind-the-scenes coverage, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
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