World Club Championship - Team Surfing Competition

Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast

Club Surfing

Best surfers from local & international boardriders clubs battle it out

combined 2 highestscoring waves = total

HIGHEST total advances to next round

$60k event prize pool

EXPRESSION SESSIONS

Best Aerial; Most Creative; Best Spirit of WCC ; Highest Scoring Ride

2026 World Club CHAMPIONship - Format

The 2026 World Club Championship hits Snapper Rocks, uniting 32 of the world’s best boardriders clubs for three epic days of surfing.

Debuting a four-surfer format — Open Men’s, Open Women’s, Junior (U20) & Master (40+) — the event showcases a balance of youth, experience, and elite talent.

Confirmed clubs represent Australia, New Zealand, USA, Hawaii, UK, France, Japan, Indonesia, and Portugal. International standouts include:

Legian Boardriders Club (Indonesia)
Omi Wan Boardriders (Japan)
Bay Boardriders (New Zealand)
29 Hood Surf Club, La Torche (France)
Associação Surf Costa De Caparica (Portugal)
Newquay Boardriders (UK)
North Shore Oahu & Kauai Boardriders (Hawaii)
Huntington Beach, Santa Cruz, San Clemente, San Diego Encinitas, South Bay, Space Coast, Wrightsville Beach (USA)
Tahiti – Fédération Tahitienne de Surf

Alongside them, sixteen Australian clubs — including North Narrabeen, Snapper Rocks, and Culburra Boardriders — will bring home-grown firepower to the Gold Coast.

Every heat matters. Every wave counts. History will be made at Snapper Rocks.

32 of the world’s strongest boardriders clubs are headed to the Gold Coast for the inaugural World Club Championship Boardriders Clubs event to be staged at the iconic Snapper Rocks. Surfers will be competing for international honours, along with a share of $60,000 prize money with every club set to leave the beach with cash in their pocket, right through to 29th place.

Prize money breakdown:

1st – $10,000
2nd – $6,000
3rd – $5,000
4th – $4,000
Equal 5th – $3,000 each (2 clubs)
Equal 7th – $2,500 each (2 clubs)
Equal 9th – $2,000 each (2 clubs)
Equal 11th – $1,500 each (3 clubs)
Equal 14th – $1,200 each (3 clubs)
Equal 17th – $800 each (4 clubs)
Equal 21st – $800 each (4 clubs)
Equal 25th – $700 each (4 clubs)
Equal 29th – $700 each (4 clubs)

SNAPPER ROCKS:

Located at the southern end of the Gold Coast, Snapper Rocks is an iconic surf destination, known the world over for its flawless waves, vibrant atmosphere, and the surfing lifestyle it embodies. Famous for its consistently perfect waves and peeling right-handers, to paddle in from the behind rocks at snapper is the stuff bucket lists are made of.

But it’s not just the surf that sets this unique location apart, the area exudes an electric, yet laid back vibe with those watching from the beach and foreshore as much a part of the energy as those paddling into the crystal-clear waves.

Join the global surf community and experience the magic of Snapper Rocks at Usher Cup 2024 where every ride embodies the very essence of surfing.

SNAPPER ROCKS SURFRIDERS CLUB:

Snapper Rocks Surfriders club boasts a rich heritage of nurturing world-class talent. With an impressive roster of established champions who’ve risen through the clubs’ ranks, it’s fair to say Snapper Rocks has created an enduring global surf legacy.

Our established junior programs are the backbone of our success, assisting to mould young surfers into future champions. As a result, Snapper Rocks proudly celebrates eleven world champions.

5forTEN Initiative

The annual World Club Challenge (WCC) surf contest does more than boost Australian and international boardriders clubs and showcase emerging surf talent—it has a profound impact on communities and charities across the Gold Coast.

Each year, through the “$5k for TEN” initiative, WCC donates $50,000 to ten local charities during the event’s presentation ceremony. This achievement is made possible by the outstanding support from sponsors.

WCC has selected ten exceptional charities and organisations committed to making a difference. These include Serving Our People (SOP), Arcadia College, Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, Friends with Dignity, Gold Coast Hospital Foundation, The Village School Gold Coast, Volunteering Gold Coast, PCYC Tweed Heads, The Healthy Minds Club, and The Good Human Factory.

It’s fair to say, the inclusion of more international teams and the running of the inaugural World Club Challenge played a huge role in the Usher Cup 2024 Live Stream far exceeded expectations as record numbers of viewers from around the globe tuned in to watch every wave of the contest.

Once again, Snapper Rocks with the Gold Coast skyline provided the perfect backdrop as web surfers from around the globe feasted on near perfect conditions on all four days of the contest. The events beachside studio and production team ensured the action was non-stop, capturing the contest whilst also interviewing surf champions, celebrities and showcasing the Gold Coast with unique content highlighting the region, the break, participating clubs, and associated charities.

The event once again proved popular with local businesses who streamed the contest from office monitors, while media outlets, boardriders clubs and surf fans from Australia, the USA, Japan, UK, South Africa, Brazil, Portugal, and France feasted on the world class coverage.

In 2025, the World Club Challenge Live Stream will once again be back with a high-definition broadcast being broadcast globally over four action packed days, providing up to the second scores and results as they happen. In studio, a host of celebrities, former and current professional surfers, VIP’s and our expert commentary team will again entertaining crowds on the beach and on the web with wave-by-wave insight, interviews and endless surf tales and tall stories.

Theodore Vairaktaris

Event Co-Founder

As a successful business owner and entrepreneur, Theodore is an un-stoppable force of nature. His passion and never-say-die attitude separates him from people with ideas that never come to fruition. Theodore built the Usher Group from the ground up, creating a culture across the organisation which not only embodies his mindset but also inspires the employees, customers and stakeholders to realise the ambition inherent in that mindset. As a Gold Coast local, Theo has always had a close attachment to surfing and love of the ocean. For him surfing and being in the ocean is the personification of life. Some waves are worth chasing and riding, some are worth passing.

Some waves provide you with an amazing ride, while others leave you wondering. But some days they may not come at all. Most importantly, surfing and the ocean makes you feel alive and part of an amazing journey.

Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew

Event Director

Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew is the Godfather of Australian Surfing. His contribution to the sport unsurpassed by any other. His epic 1978 World Title just the tip of the iceberg representing his near half century career in com- petition, coaching and administration from grassroots to elite level.

He has been involved in a multitude of governing bodies and a successful lobbyist, advocating the importance of surfing and protecting our waves. As Surfing Australia’s National Coaching Director from 1993 to 1998, Rabbit played a big part in the careers of many of the country’s best surfers.

In a testament to his dedication, Rabbit was deservingly appointed a member of the Order of Australia AM in 2009 and Gold Coast Sportsman of the Year in 1977, 1978 and 1984. Rabbit is a life member and former president (1987 to 2002) of his beloved Snapper Rocks Surfriders Club.

Jay Phillips

Snapper Rocks Surfriders Club President (Host)

Jay Phillips is one of the most naturally talented surfers to emerge from the surf-crazed town of Coolangatta. From his stellar career as an all-conquering junior to his current role as respected Snapper Rocks Surfriders club elder and free-surfing standout, Jay has inspired generations of surfers with his talent and charisma. Jay emerged from the quiet backwater of Fingal just down the coast, with a long family history in the region. He soon migrated north to the famed point breaks of the southern Gold Coast, where he honed his flamboyant style on those long groomed walls.