World Chess Championship 2026

The World Chess Championship 2026 will be a chess match to determine the new World Chess Champion. It will be played between the defending champion (the winner of the previous championship match between Ding Liren and Gukesh D) and a challenger, who will be the winner of the Candidates Tournament 2026.

Candidates Tournament
The challenger will qualify by winning the Candidates Tournament 2026.

The eight players to qualify to the Candidates Tournament will be:

Unlike any other Candidates Tournaments, and any FIDE World Championship cycle (except 1999–2004 during the split-title period), there is no automatic spot for the runner-up of the previous Championship. To compensate, the 2024 championship will be considered an eligible tournament for the FIDE Circuit, with the runner-up obtaining special bonus points for the 2025 FIDE Circuit based on the score.