Chess
FIDE World Championship 2026: Geneva to host Gukesh-Sindarov match
A total of 14 classical games will be played in the match, starting on 25 November.
D Gukesh and Sindarov will be 20 years old when the event begins, making it the youngest World Championship contest in history. (Photo credit: FIDE)
The 2026 FIDE World Championship Match between reigning World Champion Gukesh D and Challenger Javokhir Sindarov will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 25 to December 15.
Both Gukesh and Sindarov will be 20 years old when the event begins, making it the youngest World Championship contest in history.
FIDE Interim President Viswanathan Anand welcomed the announcement: “Several countries expressed a strong interest in hosting the FIDE World Championship Match, including India, the United States and Cyprus. After carefully considering all the proposals, FIDE has decided to stage the match on neutral soil and bring it to Geneva, a city with a historic tradition of bringing nations and cultures together.
"We look forward to welcoming the global chess community to Switzerland. The local chess fans will have the opportunity to experience world-class chess in person, while millions of fans around the globe can follow the battle online as the duel for the highest title in chess unfolds," added Anand.
The match will consist of 14 classical games. The first player to score 7½ points will win the match, with no further games played once that score has been reached. Should the score be tied after all 14 classical games, the World Champion will be decided through tiebreaks.
As reigning champion, Gukesh will look to defend the crown he won in Singapore in December 2024.
At the age of 18, he defeated China’s Ding Liren, securing victory in the fourteenth and final classical game to become the 18th World Chess Champion and the youngest player ever to hold the title.
Sindarov earned his opportunity to challenge for the crown by winning the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 in Cyprus.
The Uzbek grandmaster secured first place with a round to spare, adding another major achievement to his victory at the 2025 FIDE World Cup.
Their match in Geneva will place two of the defining players of chess’s new generation opposite one another, with the World Championship title at stake.