The US Open of Surfing is happening right now in Huntington Beach, California. The 2026 edition runs July 26 through August 3 at the Huntington Beach Pier — the same stretch of sand where the event has been held every summer since 1959. Sixty-four years of competitive surfing at the same location, and it still draws half a million people to the beach every year.
THE WORLD'S LARGEST SURF COMPETITION
The US Open is the largest surf competition on the planet by attendance. It is a Championship Tour event on the World Surf League (WSL) calendar, meaning the world's best surfers — men and women — compete for ranking points that determine the world champion. The event also includes a junior competition, a longboard division, and a skateboarding component, making it one of the most comprehensive action sports events in the world.
Huntington Beach — officially branded "Surf City USA" — is the spiritual home of American surfing. The pier, the boardwalk, the International Surfing Museum, the Surfers' Hall of Fame embedded in the sidewalk outside Jack's Surfboards: this is where the culture lives. The US Open is the week when the whole world shows up to celebrate it.
THE COMPETITION
The WSL Championship Tour field includes the top-ranked surfers in the world. On the men's side, the current world rankings feature a mix of established champions and rising talent from Brazil, Australia, Hawaii, and the U.S. mainland. On the women's side, the field is as deep and competitive as it has ever been.
The beach break at Huntington can be unpredictable — it rewards surfers who can read the ocean quickly and adapt their approach to shifting conditions. When a strong south swell arrives during competition, the waves can be genuinely world-class. When the swell drops, the best surfers find a way to make something out of nothing.
SURF CITY USA IN JULY
Beyond the competition, the US Open is a week-long celebration of everything that makes Southern California's beach culture worth celebrating. Skateboarding demos, live music, brand activations, and the kind of energy that comes from putting the best surfers in the world in front of half a million fans who grew up watching them. The Gaslamp-style scene along Pacific Coast Highway during US Open week is its own event.
FC is on the ground in Huntington Beach all week. Competition runs through August 3. Full results and coverage at worldsurfleague.com.
