FIDE has officially confirmed the core lineup for the 2026-2027 Women’s Grand Prix (WGP) Series, marking the beginning of a high-stakes journey toward the 2028 Women’s Candidates Tournament.
The new cycle introduces a more rigorous qualification model, prioritizing active tournament performance and consistency over static rating spots.
The series will feature 20 of the world’s elite female players, each competing in three out of six tournaments. Each event will be a 10-player round-robin, with the top two finishers in the overall standings earning their tickets to the 2028 Candidates.
With the release of the April 2026 FIDE Rating List, the final three performance-based spots have been filled. IM Polina Shuvalova, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, and IM Carissa Yip have secured their places.
Crucially, these spots were not awarded purely on “raw” rating. FIDE’s new criteria required players to have participated in at least three qualifying events (including two individual tournaments) between May 2025 and April 2026. This move is designed to reward active competitors and prevent “rating sitting.”
Participants:
– FIDE Women’s World Championship Match 2025 participants: GMs Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi
– Top two from the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Series 2024-25: GMs Zhu Jiner and Aleksandra Goryachkina
– Top three from the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025: GMs Divya Deshmukh, Humpy Koneru, Lei Tingjie.
– Top three from the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss 2025: GMs Vaishali R, Kateryna Lagno, and Bibissara Assaubayeva.
– One spot for the FIDE Women’s Events 2024-25 (the highest ranked player excluding those who have qualified for WGP Series via other paths): GM Anna Muzychuk
– Three spots via Standard Rating in the April 2026 FIDE Rating List: IM Polina Shuvalova, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, and IM Carissa Yip
The remaining six spots will be filled by organizer nominations for each of the six series events, adding a local flavor to each host city.
The previous 2024-2025 cycle featured four rating-based spots; the new edition reduces this to three and adds stricter activity requirements. By giving more prominence to event-based performance, FIDE is ensuring that the Grand Prix remains a battleground for those currently in their best competitive form.
The stakes are not only competitive but financial. Each of the six tournaments features a minimum prize fund of €80,000, with a season-end bonus pot of €120,000.
Tournament Winner: €18,000 and 130 WGP points.
Second Place: €13,000.
10th Place: €3,500.
The focus now shifts to the organizers of the six upcoming events. Who will get the wildcards, and which cities will host the battles that decide the next challenger for the world crown?
