India Set To Host FIDE World Cup 2025 Amid India's Rising Fame In Chess, 206 Players To Be In Action For 2026 Candidates Spot

The FIDE World Cup is all set to be hosted in India. The 2025 edition of the chess tournament will take place towards the end of 2025, where 200+ grandmasters from all over the world will get a chance to earn a title and qualification spot in the prestigious 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament. As India's fame in the game of chess continues to grow, hosting the illustrious FIDE World Cup would be a massive step for the nation.

FIDE World Cup Heads To India, To Happen In October 2025

After the 2023 event in Baku, the FIDE World Cup will arrive in India in 2025. The chess tournament will take place from October 30 to November 27, 2025, where the world's best chess players will aim for the crown and a spot in the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

Magnus Carlsen is the reigning World Champion after he won the 2023 World Cup, with India's R Praggnanandhaa emerging as the runner-up after losing to the former world number one at the prestigious event.

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A total of 21 Indian players have qualified as participants for the FIDE World Cup. Grandmasters like Arjun Erigaisi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, reigning world champion D Gukesh and many more are eligible to be a part of the tournament.

What is The Format For The FIDE World Cup 2025?

The FIDE World Cup 2025 will feature 206 players competing in the knockout format, where the losing player in every round will be eliminated. Every round would last for three days, with two classical games being hosted in the first two days. If required, tit-breakers would be hosted on the third day. Additionally, the top 50-ranked players will get byes, while the 51- 206th-seeded players will lock horns in a pairing approach where the top half will face the reversed lower half.

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Players who would finish in the top three at the 2025 FIDE World Cup earn direct qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. The prestigious tournament will determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship, facing D Gukesh in the summit clash.