| Header: | World Chess Championship 2026 |
| Dates: | 2026 |
| Title1: | Defending champion |
| Title2: | Challenger |
| Qual1: | Winner of the World Chess Championship 2024 |
| Qual2: | Winner of the Candidates Tournament 2026 |
| Prev: | 2024 |
| Prev Link: | World Chess Championship 2024 |
| Next: | 2028 |
| Next Link: | World Chess Championship 2028 |
The World Chess Championship 2026 will be a chess match to determine the new World Chess Champion. It will be played between the defending champion (the winner of the previous championship match between Ding Liren and Gukesh D) and a challenger, who will be the winner of the Candidates Tournament 2026.
The challenger will qualify by winning the Candidates Tournament 2026.
The eight players to qualify to the Candidates Tournament will be:[1] [2]
| Qualification method | Player | Age | Rating | World ranking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TBD) | |||||
| The winner of the 2024 FIDE Circuit | TBD | ||||
| The top three finishers in the Chess World Cup 2025 | TBD | ||||
| TBD | |||||
| TBD | |||||
| The top two finishers in the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 | TBD | ||||
| TBD | |||||
| The winner of the 2025 FIDE Circuit | TBD | ||||
| Highest rating averaged from August 2025 – January 2026 | TBD | ||||
Unlike any other Candidates Tournaments, and any FIDE World Championship cycle (except 1999–2004 during the split-title period), there is no automatic spot for the runner-up of the previous Championship. To compensate, the 2024 championship will be considered an eligible tournament for the FIDE Circuit, with the runner-up obtaining special bonus points for the 2025 FIDE Circuit based on the score.[1]