The FIDE World Women’s Team Championship 2025 will take place in Linares, Spain, from November 17 to 24, 2025. The event will bring together the world’s top national women’s teams, as they compete for the prestigious title of World Team Champion. The World Women’s Team Chess Championship 2025 will be one of the first events to use the Fast Classic time control, which is also part of the Total World Chess Championship 2026. Michael Rahal says, “The Women’s World Team Chess Championship, scheduled for November in Linares, will be played at a 45′ + 30 second time control, and will compute for standard ratings.” The tournament is a major event in The Chess Calendar and the Women Chess Calendar
The 2025 edition will feature 12 teams, including:
- The semi-finalists from the 2023 Championship: Georgia, France, Kazakhstan, and the USA
- The top-rated continental teams: China (Asia), Ukraine (Europe), Peru (Americas), and Algeria (Africa)
- India and the FIDE teams, based on the August 2025 average rating
- Spain, as the host nation
- Uzbekistan, nominated by the FIDE President
This will be the second time Spain has hosted the event, following the successful 2021 edition in Sitges (Barcelona). The most recent championship was held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2023.
“We are delighted to bring the World Women’s Team Championship to Linares,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. “This city has a legendary connection with the game, and we are confident that it will provide a perfect stage for this major event in the women’s calendar.”
Line-ups and star participants
The event is expected to attract many of the strongest women players in the world. On board one, China will be fielding Hou Yifan, widely regarded as one of the greatest female chess players in history and a central figure in modern women’s chess. Hou Yifan is a four-time Women’s World Champion (2010, 2011, 2013, 2016) and has represented Team China in numerous Olympiads and team competitions, contributing to several gold medal victories, including at the World Women’s Team Championships (2007, 2009, 2011, 2015).
At the 2025 FIDE World Women’s Team Championship in Linares, Hou Yifan’s participation is highly anticipated. As the leader of the Chinese national team, her return to team competition will undoubtedly be one of the major highlights of the event.
Alongside Hou, Team China will feature an exciting blend of experience and youth, including two of the country’s most promising rising stars — International Masters Song Yuxin and Lu Miaoyi. Their inclusion underscores China’s continued commitment to nurturing young talent and maintaining its dominant legacy in women’s chess.
“The World Women’s Team Championship is not only a celebration of competitive excellence but also a showcase of team spirit and solidarity in women’s chess,” added FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece. “We look forward to seeing the best players come together once again in such a historic and inspiring venue.”
Team USA is also coming strong with five experienced 2400 players, headed by Carissa Yip. Born in 2003, Yip is one of the brightest stars in American chess and a leading figure in the new generation of women players on the world stage. A four-time U.S. Women’s Champion (2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025), Carissa is known for her aggressive and creative style.
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh will once again lead the team of the host nation, Spain. Widely known as Sara Khadem, she is one of the most talented and respected figures in modern women’s chess. Former Iranian Champion, Sara achieved the title of International Master and Woman Grandmaster, representing Iran in numerous Olympiads and World Team Championships, and in recent years has made Spain her new home.
| Country | Avg Rating | Players | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALGERIA | 1866 | Rania Nassr (1897), Ryma Nassr (1911), Manel Nassr (1747), Chahrazad Djerroud (1867), Imene Zerarga (1789), Manel Ait Oudhia (1739) | Merouane Boukhelal |
| CHINA | 2473 | Yifan Hou (2620), Yuxin Song (2448), Miaoyi Lu (2440), Qi Guo (2384), Mo Zhai (2384), Xueyi Li (2211) | Shen Yang |
| FIDE TEAM | 2496 | Aleksandra Goryachkina (2540), Katerina Lagno (2517), Polina Shuvalova (2472), Leya Garifullina (2458), Anna Shukhman (2418), Olga Girya (2390) | Sergey Rublevsky |
| FRANCE | 2353 | Deimante Daulyte-Cornette (2425), Sophie Milliet (2351), Manon Schippke (2339), Mitra Hejazipour (2335), Andrea Navrotescu (2265), Silvia Alexieva (2198) | Silvia Alexieva |
| GEORGIA | 2430 | Anastasia Kirtadze (2308), Nino Batsiashvili (2461), Lela Javakhishvili (2427), Bella Khotenashvili (2424), Meri Arabidze (2408), Kesaria Mgeladze (2271) | Salome Melia |
| INDIA | 2334 | Rakshitta Ravi (2381), Padmini Rout (2337), Savitha Shri B (2319), Nandhidhaa P V (2302), Sarayu Velpula (2292), Seshadri Srija (2285) | Swayams Mishra |
| KAZAKHSTAN | 2381 | Bibissara Assaubayeva (2513), Xeniya Balabayeva (2360), Meruert Kamalidenova (2343), Zarina Nurgaliyeva (2310), Liya Kurmangaliyeva (2287), Elnaz Kaliakhmet (2274) | Pavel Kotsur |
| PERU | 2207 | Deysi Cori T. (2350), Maria Teresa Jimenez Salas (2224), Fiorella Contreras Huaman (2199), Heidy Nicole Garcia Andrada (2056), Mitzy Mishell Caballero Quijano (2002) | Melikset Kachiyan |
| UKRAINE | 2399 | Yuliia Osmak (2452), Anna Ushenina (2423), Nataliya Buksa (2400), Natalia Zhukova (2322), Bozhena Piddubna (2302), Anastasiia Hnatyshyn (2191) | Michail Brodsky |
| USA | 2406 | Carissa Yip (2459), Tatev Abrahamyan (2391), Anna M. Sargsyan (2377), Zoey Tang (2381), Irina Krush (2396) | Melikset Kachiyan |
| UZBEKISTAN | 2336 | Guirukhbegim Tokhirjonova (2369), Afruza Khamdamova (2403), Guldona Karimova (2286), Umida Omonova (2289), Madinabonu Khalilova (2228), Nafisa Muminova (2226) | Nafisa Muminova |
| SPAIN | 2339 | Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (2429), Sabrina Vega Gutierrez (2377), Ann Matnadze Bujiashvili (2326), Ines Prado Acebo (2225), Gal.la Garcia-Castany Musellas (2203), Monica Calzetta Ruiz (2194) | Jose Fernando Cuenca Jimenez |
