The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has approved a major overhaul of the World Cup and Women’s World Cup formats from 2027, aiming to make the tournaments shorter, more inclusive and more rewarding for players.The biggest change is that both events will now last 19 days instead of 27. Rather than going straight into a knockout, players will first compete in a Swiss-system qualification stage before the traditional knockout rounds begin. The opening stage will see players divided into separate Swiss pools, where everyone gets to play multiple games. The revamped format begins with Swiss-system qualifiers using a 45-minute clock and a 30-second increment per move. The top performers from each pool will then advance to a 16-player knockout stage, which will continue with the familiar format using classical time controls.FIDE has also expanded the size of both tournaments. The Open World Cup will grow from 206 to 224 players, while the Women’s World Cup will increase from 103 to 128 players.New qualification routes have also been introduced. Along with continental qualification spots, players can now qualify through the FIDE Grand Swiss, FIDE Circuit, the Total Chess World Championship and as the highest-rated senior player. Continental representation has also been boosted, with more qualification places for every region.
Bigger prize fund, shorter tournament
FIDE has increased the combined prize fund for the two events from USD 2.67 million in 2025 to USD 3.3 million in 2027. Prize money will continue to be distributed to every participant, with players finishing lower in the standings receiving higher payouts than before, while the winner’s prize remains unchanged.Explaining the changes, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said, “The new format has been designed to preserve the unique identity of the FIDE World Cup while adapting it to the evolving needs of modern chess. We believe that the combination of Swiss qualification and knockout finals will offer a more engaging experience for both players and fans.”ALSO READ: India gets its 98th GM! Both parents chess coaches, 10th board exam forced a break: The making of Aswath SHe added, “At the same time, we are making the FIDE World Cups more inclusive than ever before… With these changes, the FIDE World Cup and FIDE Women’s World Cup will remain among the most watched competitions in international chess while continuing to serve as key gateways to the World Championship cycle for players from every corner of the world.”
