The 2027 FIDE World Chess Championship will be the first title defence of Gukesh Dommaraju, who took the crown from Ding Liren in Singapore in December 2024. As of mid-2026 the location of the match has not been announced; FIDE traditionally selects the host city six to nine months before the start date.
The challenger will be determined by the 2026 Candidates Tournament held in Madrid in April 2026. The match will follow the standard format of fourteen classical games at the standard FIDE time control (90+30+30s increment). If the score is tied 7–7 after the classical portion, the title is decided by tiebreaks: four rapid games at 25+10, then two-game blitz mini-matches at 5+3 until a winner emerges, and finally a single armageddon game.
Gukesh’s preparation team is expected to remain the same as the 2024 cycle: his second Grzegorz Gajewski, plus coaches Vishnu Prasanna and Paddy Upton. The challenger’s team and approach will depend on who wins the 2026 Candidates. The most likely contenders entering Madrid were Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura, and Praggnanandhaa.
The world championship match is the most-watched chess event in the four-year cycle. The 2024 edition between Ding and Gukesh drew tens of millions of unique viewers across FIDE’s official broadcast, Chess.com, Lichess, and the many independent commentary streams.
For confirmed dates, venue, and the match-broadcast schedule, see FIDE’s official championship hub linked in the right column.