Overview

• FIDE published a 206-player, eight-round knockout with two classical games per match and rapid/blitz tiebreaks, with the top 50 seeds entering in Round 2.
• The top three finishers will qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, advancing the next World Championship cycle.
• The entry list includes D. Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and R. Praggnanandhaa, though some outlets report uncertainties around participation by a few marquee players such as Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand.
• Organizers said the host-city confirmation came only about two months before the event due to multi-level approvals, with Goa cleared after venue inspections.
• The World Cup returns to India for the first time since 2002 in Hyderabad, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly welcomed its return.