India is hosting the 2025 FIDE World Cup this year, which will take place between October 30 and November 27. The WC title will be contested by the top Grandmasters in the world, and the competition will serve as a qualifier for the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament.

With a knockout structure that will eliminate the losing player in each round, 206 players will compete. Each round will last three days in a single-elimination format, with two traditional games taking place on the first two days and tie-breakers on the third. The top 50 players will receive byes in the opening round, while the remaining players, ranked 51 through 206, will compete in matches determined by the principle of the top half against the reverse bottom half.

The top three finishers will be immediately eligible to compete in the 2026 Candidates. The winner of the Candidates will compete for the title of World Chess Champion against D Gukesh.

Former FIDE World Cup Champions

The previous winners of the FIDE World Cup are Teimour Radjabov (2019), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2021), Magnus Carlsen (2023), Sergey Karjakin (2015), Vladimir Kramnik (2013), Peter Svidler (2011), Boris Gelfand (2009), Gata Kamsky (2007), and Levon Aronian (2017 and 2005).

The qualification requirements for the FIDE World Cup are the reigning World Champion (as of June 1, 2025), the top four finishers from the 2023 FIDE World Cup, the reigning Women's World Champion (as of June 1, 2025), the 2024 World Junior Champion U-20, the best players in the June 2025 FIDE standard rating list (13, who have not qualified by any other criteria), and qualifiers from continental events (80 spots).

The FIDE President also has two candidates for the organizer and four nominations for the top 100 national federations from the 2024 Chess Olympiad open division.

At the 2023 World Cup, where he was defeated by Carlsen, R Praggnanandhaa came in second place. Gukesh, on the other hand, is the current World Champion.

"We are thrilled to bring the FIDE World Cup 2025 to India, a nation with a deep-rooted passion and support for chess," stated CEO Emil Sutovsky in a FIDE news statement. Indian chess fans' enthusiasm has always been remarkable, and we anticipate great interest in the event among local chess lovers, both on-site and online. FIDE is dedicated to hosting a variety of side events with tournament players and chess legends to improve the overall experience.

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