The latest 2025 Women’s World Cup outcome has rebalanced the landscape for the much-awaited 2026 Women’s Candidates tournament.
The race for the eight spots in the 2026 Women’s Candidates is tightening. Two were secured through the Women’s Grand Prix – Zhu Jiner as winner and Alexandra Goryachkina as runner-up. Three more were decided at the recently concluded Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia.
Nineteen-year-old Indian talent Divya Deshmukh pulled off a hat-trick in Batumi. Her 1.5–0.5 tiebreak win over former World No. 2 HumpyKoneru not only gave her the title but also earned her a Grandmaster norm – awarded automatically to the winner – and a place in the 2026 Candidates, one step away from a shot at the world title.
Humpy Koneru and former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi also qualified, finishing second and third, respectively.
With five out of eight spots in the Candidates already determined, the players have just two more opportunities – the Grand Swiss in September (which carries two qualifying spots) and becoming the winner of the FIDE Women’s Events 2024-25 series.
While the Grand Swiss is traditionally the strongest open tournament on the calendar, with qualification standards alone filtering the elite, the FIDE Women’s Events series, by contrast, operates on a cumulative points system.
For context, players in the series are awarded Ranking Points (RP) based on performance in eight key events, which include the following women’s events:
- World Rapid Championship 2024
- World Blitz Championship 2024
- World Championship Match 2025 (only runner-up earns RP)
- Grand Prix Series 2024–25 (final standings used)
- World Cup 2025
- Grand Swiss 2025
- World Rapid Championship 2025
- World Blitz Championship 2025
The final score of a player is calculated as the sum of the player’s RP in up to five of her best events.
The World Cup in Batumi reshuffled the standings in the 2024–25 FIDE Women’s Events series. Humpy Koneru now leads comfortably with 224 Ranking Points, more than 70 ahead of Tan Zhongyi in second.
The current top five players in the standings are all already qualified for the Candidates. World Champion Ju Wenjun holds sixth place (down from first, which she previously held), as she did not participate in the Women’s World Cup. As the defending World Champion, Ju does not need to play in the Candidates.
The top player still in contention via the series is Anna Muzychuk, currently on 80 Ranking Points. Despite a strong performance and winning the final leg of the Women’s Grand Prix, she ultimately fell short of qualifying through that route.
Trailing Muzychuk are three contenders with between 54.5 and 62 points. Lei Tingjie – winner of the previous (2022–23) Candidates and unsuccessful title challenger – currently sits eighth on 62. Just behind her are veterans Harika Dronavalli (58.5) and Kateryna Lagno (54.5), both within striking distance.
The final three spots in the Candidates will be decided across three key events. Two will go to the winner and runner-up of the Grand Swiss in September. The last place will be awarded to the winner of the FIDE Women’s Events 2024–25 series, based on Ranking Points earned in the Grand Swiss, the World Rapid, and the World Blitz.
For those still chasing a spot, there’s little room for rest. The year will end with a demanding trio of events across all formats – classical, rapid and blitz – that could decide everything.
We maintain a dedicated page on our website for the FIDE Women’s Events 2024-2025, featuring the latest information on eligible tournaments, current standings, and regulations.