FIDE World Cup wildcards revealed: Here’s who made the cut
FIDE, the world governing body for chess, has announced the wildcards for this year’s World Cup, scheduled in Goa from October 30 to November 27.
Reigning FIDE Women’s World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh has secured a wildcard entry. The 19-year-old will join 20 other Indians in the knockout tournament, which will be headlined by World Champion D. Gukesh.
ALSO READ | Divya Deshmukh awarded wildcard for FIDE World Cup 2025
Here’s the full list of wildcards in FIDE World Cup 2025:
Divya Deshmukh – Indian GM
Abhimanyu Mishra, the youngest player in history to become a Grandmaster – (American GM)
Andy Woodward – (American GM)
Volodar Murzin, the World Rapid Champion – (Russian GM)
Kirill Alekseenko – (Russian-born GM representing Austria)
Faustino Oro, the youngest wildcard – (The 11-year-old Argentine chess prodigy)
The FIDE World Cup takes place every two years and lasts for three weeks. It features 206 top world players competing in a knock-out format consisting of mini-matches.
Also at stake will be the three top spots for the 2026 Candidates, where the challenger for the title of World Champion will be determined.
Published on Sep 23, 2025