FIDE announces five wildcards for World Cup 2025

FIDE, the world governing body for chess, on Saturday announced five wildcards for this year’s World Cup, which will take place in Goa from October 30 to November 27.

Among the five are Abhimanyu Mishra, the youngest player in history to become a Grandmaster, and Andy Woodward. The two American GMs had a spectacular run at the recent FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, finishing fifth and seventh respectively.

World Rapid Champion, 19-year-old Volodar Murzin, also got an invite, alongside 28-year-old Kirill Alekseenko (representing Austria), a participant of the 2020-21 Candidates tournament.

The youngest wildcard will be 11-year-old Faustino Oro, the Argentinian prodigy often called the “Messi of Chess” and considered one of the most promising young talents in the game.

“FIDE always works hard to find ways to give talented players a chance to improve and make their mark. The decision to award invites to these five players is based on a mix of recent performance, high-level potential and their contribution to the sport,” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.

“The World Cup is one of the most difficult and most exciting chess events, given its knockout format, and will be a great opportunity for these players to show their best facing the best,” Dvorkovich added.

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There is one more invitation place to be decided before the World Cup starts in November.

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 20, 2025