Divya Among 6 Players Awarded World Cup Wildcard Spots; Firouzja Not In

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich announced six wildcard invitations for the 2025 FIDE World Cup, scheduled for November, which will award three spots in the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament. The winner of the Candidates will compete against GM Gukesh Dommaraju for the world championship. The wildcard recipients are GMs Divya Deshmukh, Kirill Alekseenko, Andy Woodward, Abhimanyu Mishra, Volodar Murzin, and IM Faustino Oro.

Most of the invited players are under 20 years old, with 28-year-old Kirill Alekseenko being the exception, as he previously participated in the 2020-2021 Candidates Tournament. Divya Deshmukh, aged 19, won the 2025 Women's World Cup; 15-year-old Andy Woodward secured the Junior's Closed U.S. Championship; Abhimanyu Mishra, 16, is the youngest-ever grandmaster; Volodar Murzin, 19, is the current rapid world champion; and 11-year-old Faustino Oro recently surpassed a 2500 rating, moving closer to earning his grandmaster title.

Divya Deshmukh's wildcard was not part of the initial announcement but was later confirmed by FIDE CEO GM Emil Sutovsky on social media. Sutovsky clarified that FIDE had not planned wildcards for Indian players due to the host federation's local spots, but Divya received an additional invitation after a last-minute dropout and to ensure female representation in the event, following declines from other top female players.

Several top-ranked players are absent from the World Cup, including world number-one Magnus Carlsen, the 2023 winner, who is not participating. World number-two Hikaru Nakamura is focusing on qualifying via ratings and does not need to play, while number-three Fabiano Caruana has already qualified through the 2024 FIDE Circuit. World number-eight Alireza Firouzja is also missing, having skipped the event due to personal reasons, such as the demanding schedule, and his qualification chances now depend on others' outcomes.

Despite some players having already qualified for the Candidates, such as Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu via the 2025 FIDE Circuit and Anish Giri from winning the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss, they are still competing. Gukesh Dommaraju, who is set for the world championship match, is participating to improve his form after recent setbacks. For most entrants, this tournament represents a final opportunity to qualify for the Candidates.