The Candidates Tournaments determine the challengers for the FIDE World Championship and the FIDE Women's World Championship, making the qualification system one of the most important elements of the World Championship cycle. The regulations aim to strengthen the connection between FIDE's flagship events, reward consistent excellence across multiple competitions, and provide players with a broader range of opportunities to qualify.

Main changes

The approved regulations introduce four key changes to the qualification system.

Total Chess World Championship Tour becomes a qualification pathway

A new qualification route has been introduced through the Total Chess World Championship Tour 2026–2027. The top two players in the final standings of the Tour will qualify directly for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2028. This addition further strengthens the World Championship cycle by rewarding consistent performances across the Tour and creating another pathway to the Candidates.

World Cup qualification adjusted

The number of qualification places awarded through the FIDE World Cup and the FIDE Women's World Cup has been revised.

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Beginning with the 2027 editions, the two finalists of each World Cup will qualify for the respective Candidates Tournament, compared to three qualification places in the previous cycle. Replacement procedures have also been clarified to ensure that any vacated qualification place is reallocated through clearly defined sporting criteria.

Rating qualification removed

The rating qualification spot, which existed in previous Candidates cycles, has been removed. Instead of qualifying through rating alone, players will now compete for places through FIDE’s major competitions and season-long qualification events. This change places greater emphasis on sporting results achieved during the World Championship cycle and creates a qualification system based entirely on competitive performance across the Grand Swiss, World Cup, Total Chess World Championship Tour (Open), Women's Grand Prix (Women), and the FIDE Circuit.

Circuit qualification extended to two years

The FIDE Circuit will continue to award two qualification places for both the Open and Women's Candidates Tournaments. However, instead of allocating one place per year, the qualification will now be based on the combined results across the 2026–2027 FIDE Circuit. The two highest-ranked players over the full two-year cycle who have not otherwise qualified will earn places in the Candidates. This change places greater emphasis on sustained excellence over a longer period and encourages players to participate more actively in FIDE Circuit events.

Qualification paths

FIDE Candidates Tournament 2028

• Eight players will qualify through the following pathways:
• FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2027 – 2 players
• Total Chess World Championship Tour 2026–2027 – 2 players
• FIDE World Cup 2027 – 2 players
• FIDE Circuit 2026-2027 – 2 players

FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2028

• Eight players will qualify through the following:
• FIDE Women's Grand Swiss 2027 – 2 players
• FIDE Women's Grand Prix Series 2026–2027 – 2 players
• FIDE Women's World Cup 2027 – 2 players
• FIDE Women's Circuit 2026-2027 – 2 players

A balanced route to the Candidates

The revised qualification system maintains four equally weighted qualification pathways, ensuring that players can reach the Candidates through success in elite tournaments and long-term circuit performance.

"The qualification system for the Candidates Tournaments is one of the cornerstones of the World Championship cycle, and it is essential that it continues to evolve alongside the game itself", said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.

These changes have been carefully developed to make the qualification process more balanced, transparent, and performance-based. By introducing the Total Chess World Championship Tour as a new pathway, refining the allocation of World Cup places, and placing greater emphasis on results achieved during the cycle, we are ensuring that every route to the Candidates rewards sustained excellence at the highest level of competition.

Related documents:

FIDE Candidates Tournament 2028: Qualification paths (PDF)
FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2028: Qualification paths (PDF)

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