The International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Monday revealed that India will host the 2025 FIDE World Cup.The venue is yet to be decided, but the tournament is scheduled from October 30 to November 2.The world’s top players will battle it out for the coveted title and qualification spots in the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament.FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky said: “We are thrilled to bring the FIDE World Cup 2025 to India, a country with a deep-rooted passion and support for chess. 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. To enhance the experience, FIDE is committed to organizing numerous side events, featuring tournament participants and chess legends.”Here’s all you need to know:
What is the format?
The FIDE World Cup 2025 will feature 206 players competing in a knockout format.The event has used several formats over the years, but since 2021, it has followed a single-elimination format. Each round spans three days: two classical games on the first two days, followed by tie-breaks on the third day, if necessary.In the first round, the top 50 players receive byes, while players seeded from 51 to 206 compete, with pairings based on the principle of the top half versus the reversed lower half.
What’s at stake?
The top three finishers of the 2025 World Cup will earn direct qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship.
Who can qualify?
Players can qualify for the World Cup through various avenues, including:
- Reigning World Champion as of June 1, 2025
- Top four finishers from the FIDE World Cup 2023
- Reigning Women’s World Champion as of June 1, 2025
- 2024 World Junior Champion (U-20)
- Qualifiers from Continental events (accounting for 80 spots)
- The 13 highest-rated players in the June 2025 FIDE standard rating list who have not qualified via other routes
- Top 100 national federations from the 2024 Chess Olympiad open section, each receiving one spot
- 4 nominees of the FIDE President
