The Women’s World Chess Championship 2026 is set to be one of the most anticipated events in the chess calendar. The match will determine the next Women’s World Chess Champion and will feature defending champion Ju Wenjun, who secured her title in the Women’s World Chess Championship 2025, against a challenger yet to be determined. The dates and host city for the event are still to be announced.
The challenger to Ju Wenjun will emerge from the Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026, scheduled for April 2026. The tournament will bring together eight of the world’s strongest players, each having earned their spot through top performances in major FIDE events.
Read more: Candidates Chess 2026
| Qualification Method | Player | Age | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top two finishers in the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25 | Zhu Jiner (China, winner) | 22 | 2536 | |
| Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE, runner-up) | 26 | 2528 | ||
| Top three finishers in the Women’s Chess World Cup 2025 | Divya Deshmukh (India, winner) | 19 | 2478 | |
| Koneru Humpy (India, runner-up) | 38 | 2535 | ||
| Tan Zhongyi (China, third place) | 34 | 2539 | ||
| Top two finishers in the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 | Kateryna Lagno (Runner-up) | — | — | |
| Vaishali R (Winner) | — | — | ||
| Winner of the FIDE Women’s Circuit 2024–25 | TBD | — | — | — |
