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Five Down, Three to Go: How the World Cup Shook Up the Women’s Candidates Race
The 2025 Women’s World Cup has changed the game for the 2026 Women’s Candidates tournament.
Out of eight spots for the Candidates, five are now filled. Two players qualified through the Women’s Grand Prix: Zhu Jiner as the winner, and Alexandra Goryachkina as runner-up. Three more players just secured their spots at the World Cup in Batumi, Georgia.
Nineteen-year-old Indian star Divya Deshmukh made history in Batumi. She defeated former World No. 2 Humpy Koneru in the tiebreaks, winning the title 1.5–0.5. This victory also earned her a Grandmaster norm and a ticket to the 2026 Candidates.
Humpy Koneru and former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi also qualified by finishing second and third.
Now, only three spots remain. Two will be decided at the Grand Swiss in September. The last one will go to the winner of the FIDE Women’s Events 2024–25 series.
The Grand Swiss is one of the toughest tournaments, open only to top players. In contrast, the FIDE Women’s Events series works on Ranking Points (RP). Players collect points from eight major tournaments, including:
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World Rapid Championship 2024 and 2025
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World Blitz Championship 2024 and 2025
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World Championship Match 2025 (only runner-up gets RP)
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Grand Prix Series 2024–25
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World Cup 2025
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Grand Swiss 2025
Each player’s final score comes from her best five events.
After the World Cup in Batumi, Humpy Koneru leads the series standings with 224 Ranking Points. She is more than 70 points ahead of Tan Zhongyi, who is second.
The top five in the standings are already qualified for the Candidates. World Champion Ju Wenjun, who was previously first, is now in sixth place after skipping the World Cup. But she doesn’t need to play in the Candidates as the reigning champion.
Among those still fighting for a place, Anna Muzychuk has 80 Ranking Points. Despite winning the final leg of the Women’s Grand Prix, she couldn’t qualify through that path.
Close behind her are Lei Tingjie with 62 points, Harika Dronavalli with 58.5, and Kateryna Lagno with 54.5. All three are still in the race.
The final three Candidates spots will be decided soon. Two players will qualify from the Grand Swiss in September. One will qualify by leading the FIDE Women’s Events series after adding points from the Grand Swiss, World Rapid, and World Blitz.
The year will finish with three big events in different formats: classical, rapid, and blitz. For players chasing a place in the Candidates, it will be intense and decisive.
To keep track of the standings, upcoming tournaments, and rules, check our dedicated page:
Visit: FIDE Women’s Events 2024–2025
Photos: Anna Shtourman, FIDE_chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
