Western Australia’s Jack Robinson is set to face Brazil’s Italo Ferreira in a blockbuster opening clash as the 2025 Lexus WSL Finals officially open in Fiji. Seeded No. 4, Robinson is chasing his maiden World Title after four straight Finals appearances and comes in fresh from a statement win at the Tahiti Pro. Ferreira, the 2019 World Champion, is looking for his second crown, but Robinson currently leads their head-to-head after edging him in Tahiti to go 4–3. The winner of their battle will advance to face Griffin Colapinto on the road to the Title Match.
With flat seas delaying the start, competition will remain on standby until Monday, September 1, when a new swell is forecast to arrive. The official practice session featuring all 10 competitors will be streamed live on WorldSurfLeague.com this Friday, August 29, from 8:00 a.m. GMT+12 (4:00 a.m. Perth time).
While Cloudbreak remains in play, all eyes are on Restaurants as a potential Finals stage. Known for its long, hollow left barrels wrapping around Tavarua’s reef, Restaurants is one of the most revered waves in world surfing and could deliver near-perfect conditions for the showdown.
Read the full WSL media statement below.
2025 Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero Awaits Incoming Swell to Crown World Champions, Next Call To Come on Monday, September 1
The window for the 2025 Lexus WSL Finals Fiji Presented by Corona Cero, the final stop on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), is officially open today through September 4, 2025. Event organizers will select the single best day to get the one-day Finals underway. Due to poor conditions, the excitement will continue to build as competitors and fans alike hold for an incoming swell forecast for early next week.
The official practice session featuring all 10 competitors will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com on Friday, August 29, starting at 8:00 a.m. GMT+12.
The next call update for the competition will be Monday, September 1, at 7:30 a.m. GMT+12. The call will determine if a Yellow Alert will be triggered for a 24-hour notice until the potential start of the event.
“We’re going to put the competition on standby until Monday, September 1,” said Renato Hickel, WSL VP of Tours and Competition. “The main reason is it’s a flat ocean out there with very strong onshore winds and rain at Cloudbreak. The forecast on August 29th shows a possibility of a small swell arriving at Cloudbreak. The next couple of days, August 30th and 31st, are also showing very small surf, including close to flood conditions, so there should be no action on those days.
“The first possible Yellow Alert day in the event window will be September 1st, when the new swell starts to arrive in Fiji in the four-to-six foot, maybe five-to-seven foot range, which is going to allow us to trigger the Yellow Alert at 7:30 a.m. local time. This could also be a second training session for the surfers, both at Cloudbreak and Restaurants. Restaurants is also an option to run for this event. The swell forecast for September 2nd is currently in a 10-to-15-foot range with a short period and W angle. It’s showing to be a good swell for the Restaurants reef. It’s early days on the forecast. We know forecasts can change, and we will continue with the next update on Monday.”
World’s Best Wait for Large Incoming Swell, Showing Potential for Restaurants
Over the next few days, an incoming swell is forecasted to bring excellent conditions to Fiji. As the swell begins to build, the Final 5 will have plenty of time to prepare ahead of the Yellow Alert with dedicated practice sessions in the coming days.
While the unique nature of the swell will provide opportunity for the two available locations for the event to run, Cloudbreak and Restaurants, its likely prime focus will be Restaurants, potentially delivering all-time conditions. Situated directly in front of the dining area of Tavarua Island Resort, Restaurants is a world-class left barrel breaking over an extremely shallow coral reef. The long, hollow waves that wrap around Tavarua have provided many highlights to the CT event in years past and is many a surfer’s favourite wave in the world. At times nearing total perfection, Restaurants is considered one of the closest natural waves to mirroring a man-made wave pool.
Restaurants last appeared on the CT during the 2014 women’s event, with four women posting excellent heat totals (16.00 out of a possible 20 points, or above) out of six heats surfed, including two from Bianca Buitendag (RSA). Meanwhile, the last men’s event to showcase Restaurants in 2013 saw an incredible 11 excellent heat totals in one day, topped by a near-perfect 19.80 two-wave total for three-time World Champion John John Florence (HAW), which included a 10-point ride. The only Final 5 surfer to appear in the 2013 event, Jordy Smith (RSA), also earned an 18.30 total of his own that day. Restaurants decided the winners of two men’s events, in 2002 and 2005, with Michael Lowe (AUS) and 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) also earning near-perfect heat totals in the Final to claim their victories.
The anticipation for the Lexus WSL Finals Fiji continues to build as can’t miss matchups are set. On the women’s side, Match 1 will feature a battle of the 2023 World Champion, and last year’s World No. 2, Caroline Marks (USA) against No. 5 seed Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW). 2025 saw Johnson in a breakout season, earning her first CT event win at the Gold Coast, followed by her second win at Trestles, and now prepares for her first Finals appearance. Marks only event win of 2025 was Stop No. 3 in Portugal, and she earned consistent third place finishes in the last three events in Rio, Jeffrey’s Bay, and Tahiti to earn her No. 4 seed. The two most recently competed head-to-head in the Quarterfinals of the Lexus Tahiti Pro where Marks advanced over Johnson in a battle to determine who would claim the higher WSL Finals seed and open their Match with priority. The winner of Match 1 will meet No. 3 seed and 2024 World Champion Caity Simmers (USA) in Match 2. Followed by the winner of Match 2 moving on to face No. 2 seed Gabriela Bryan (HAW), before the Title Match against No. 1 seed Molly Picklum (AUS).
Current No. 5 seed Italo Ferreira (BRA) and No. 4 seed Jack Robinson (AUS) prepare to meet in Match 1 of the men’s draw. The 2019 World Champion, Ferreira, has his eyes set on earning his second World Title, while Robinson looks for his maiden World Title after four straight Finals appearances. For Robinson the season’s mixed results saw him on the cusp of missing out on another chance at the World Title, but his event win at the Lexus Tahiti Pro catapulted him up the rankings. Ferreira’s season was off to a thrilling start with an event win at Stop No. 2 in Abu Dhabi and a second place finish in Portugal, but mid-season found himself in Round of 32 eliminations. With Robinson breaking their head-to-head tie in the Quarterfinals of the last regular-season event in Tahiti, leaving their record 4-3 to Robinson, Ferreira will be more determined than ever to repeat his defeat of the Australian in the 2024 Lexus WSL Finals and even the score. The winner of Match 1 will face Griffin Colapinto (USA) to see who advances onto Match 3 against No. 2 seed Jordy Smith (RSA). The winner of Match 3 will then move onto the Title Match against Yago Dora (BRA).
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