Top five foreign players to watch at FIDE Chess World Cup 2025

Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura are among the absentees at the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025.

The FIDE Chess World Cup is a major event on the chess calendar which takes place every two years. The 2025 edition of the World Cup will feature a massive field of 206 participants and is crucial because the top three players qualify for the Candidates Tournament.

While its importance ranks below the Candidates and the World Championship, the World Cup is still hugely important. Until 2023, it was the only tournament which had eluded Magnus Carlsen who won it that year. No Indian has won it since Viswanathan Anand, who is a two-time winner (2000 and 2002).

Notably, the upcoming tournament, will see the absence of several top tier players, including defending champion Magnus Carlsen, as well as Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Ding Liren, and Jan Krzysztof Duda. This allows other emerging players to prove their mettle and stake their claims for the Candidates.

Top foreign players to watch FIDE Chess World Cup 2025

Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia)

Ian Nepomniachtchi, the two-time World Championship challenger remains one of the most experienced elite players in the field. Having won the Candidates Tournament twice (2021 and 2022), he played for the World Championship against Magnus Carlsen and later Ding Liren but unfortunately lost on both occasions. 

With a direct qualification pathway to the Candidates available for World Cup finalists, this event is significant from the Russian’s point of view. If he enters rhythm early and avoids long rapid tiebreak sequences, Nepo stands a good chance to rout his opponents.

Also Read: FIDE Chess World Cup 2025: Updated schedule, format, prize money, live streaming details

Vincent Keymer (Germany)

Vincent Keymer has graduated from a “promising junior” to a top 20 competitor. His recent form has been superb. His victory in the first leg of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Weissenhaus, where he defeated both Fabiano Caruana and Magnus Carlsen in different phases of the event showcased his maturity as a player.

He also won the Chennai Grandmasters 2025 this year. In the World Cup’s knockout structure, Keymer is a player who may not be flashy in approach but is exceptionally difficult to negate with in high pressure situations.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan)

Former World Rapid Champion, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, continues to be one of the leaders of the new global chess order led by Gukesh. He has consistently remained above the 2750 rating range and has posted several strong classical performances. He is a legitimate dark horse to reach the final.

Fresh from the UzChess Cup victory, what distinguishes Abdusattorov is his competitive mentality as he plays for wins with both colors and does not fade under pressure in complex positions.

World Cup’s knockout formats suit his versatile style of creating winning chances in tight classical games while also carry the capability to handle rapid tiebreaks which happens to be one of Nodirbek’s strongest areas.

Also Read: FIDE World Cup 2025 Format Explained: Guide to the World Chess Championships spots

Matthias Bluebaum (Germany)

Matthias Bluebaum enters the FIDE World Cup during arguably the peak of his career. As a two-time European Champion (2022, 2025) and having already secured a spot in the 2026 Candidates Tournament by finishing second in the FIDE Grand Swiss, Blubaum is in a dominating position.

Known for his deep preparation, he can choose to play risk free, ambitious chess, using the World Cup to test innovative variations and work his strategy for the upcoming World Championship cycle.

Hans Moke Niemann (United States)

Hans Niemann remains one of the most unpredictable but high impact competitors in the field. The 22-year-old has risen back into the 2700 classical range (after all the controversies) and his performances in elite freestyle events, including a qualification to the Freestyle Grand Slam final in Las Vegas clearly indicate that he has what it takes to compete at the highest level.

A quick glance into his career showcases that he fares well in such classical tournaments considering his past tournament victories at Sitges Festival, Sharjah Masters, Menorca Open, Las Vegas Super Swiss and Uralsk Open. Nieman is hungry for success and if he catches momentum early, he can upset higher ranked players.

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