FIDE's Overhauled 2027 World Cup Format
The FIDE Council has approved a significant overhaul of the World Cup and Women's World Cup formats starting in 2027, cutting the event from a sprawling 27 days down to 19, while simultaneously expanding the field and prize fund. Gone is the old 206-player (Open) and 107-player (Women's) pure knockout. In its place: a two-stage format combining Swiss qualification with a knockout finish.
Why FIDE rebuilt the format
The old pure-knockout World Cup had grown unwieldy: by 2025, the Open event had stretched to 27 days, increasingly difficult to slot into an already crowded international calendar. Following recommendations from FIDE's Global Strategy Commission, the Council approved a redesign aimed squarely at three goals: more inclusive qualification, a better player experience, and a shorter overall footprint, without diminishing the World Cup's status as a flagship event in the World Championship cycle.
Stage 1: Swiss qualification pools
Both the Open and Women's World Cup now open with a Swiss-system stage at a Fast Classical time control, 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move, played over nine rounds across five days. The Open event splits its field into four Swiss pools; the Women's event uses two. Pools are balanced for comparable playing strength, so no single pool is dramatically weaker or stronger than the others.
Stage 2: the knockout finish
From there, it becomes recognisable: the top 4 finishers from each of the Open's four pools (16 players total) and the top 8 from each of the Women's two pools (also 16 players) advance to a standard knockout, Round of 16 through the Final, played at full classical time control exactly as before. The two-stage structure means every player still gets a real shot to reach the money knockout rounds through Swiss form, rather than being eliminated by a single bad game on day one of a pure knockout.
Bigger field, bigger prize fund
Total participation grows to 224 players in the Open and 128 in the Women's event, both increases on the old format, with the combined prize fund rising to $3.3 million. A larger, better-funded event that somehow takes 8 fewer days is the clearest sign FIDE designed this specifically around calendar pressure, not just cosmetic change.
What it means practically
Players now need to be sharp at a faster time control (45+30) just to survive to the knockout stage, a real shift from the old format's single elimination structure from round one. For a shorter companion piece covering just the headline changes, see our quick-reference guide.