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World Chess Championship 2026: Venue, Tickets, How to Watch

The games are played at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny; the Opening Ceremony is at the Palais des Nations on Sunday 22 November 2026. Tickets: only from the official ticket site, tickets.fide.com. (partner article (place and date); regulations 4.6.1 (date, time TBD); the ticket article links the official ticket site; sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5])

Where the games are played

The playing hall and the VIP lounge are at the Fondation Martin Bodmer, Route Martin-Bodmer 19, 1223 Cologny. (sources [1] [2] [3])

Opening ceremony, Media Days and closing ceremony

The Opening Ceremony is on 22 November 2026 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, not at the playing venue. Its time is not announced (the regulations say TBD). (partner article (place and date); regulations 4.6.1 (date, time TBD); sources [4] [5])
Sunday 22 November 2026: Media Day and Opening Ceremony; time not announced (TBD in the regulations). (regulations 4.6.1; source [5])
Monday 23 November 2026: Media Day and Technical Meeting; time not announced (TBD in the regulations). (regulations 4.6.1; source [5])
The Closing Ceremony is on the tie-break day, 12 December, or one day later. If the match is decided in fewer than 14 games, FIDE and the organiser can agree to move it to an earlier date. Its time is not announced. (regulations 4.17.3 and the footnote to 4.6.1; source [5])

Fan Zone

The Fan Zone is at Parc du Gerdil, Route de la Capite, 1223 Cologny. It opens 30 minutes before the first move and shows the live broadcast on a big screen. (sources [2] [3])

Tickets and passes

VIP Day Pass: Includes an hour in the playing hall. (ticket article and ticket site; sources [2] [3])
Fan Zone Pass: For the Fan Zone at Parc du Gerdil. (ticket article and ticket site; sources [2] [3])
Prices change with demand (dynamic pricing) and tickets are released in stages; the official ticket site shows the current prices. (ticket article and ticket site; sources [2] [3])
Buy only from the official ticket site: tickets.fide.com. This page shows no prices, because they change. (the ticket article links the official ticket site; sources [2] [3])

How to watch

In the VIP lounge, Peter Svidler and Peter Leko give live commentary. (source [2])
FIDE holds the rights to live transmission of the games on the internet (regulations, article 7.3). (regulations 7.3; source [5])
Online broadcast partners: none named in FIDE's articles (checked 17 Oct 2026). (none of these four FIDE articles names an online broadcast partner (checked 2026-10-17); sources [1] [4] [6] [2])
The official match website is worldchampionship.fide.com. (regulations 5.1 (the official domain); source [5])

Follow the match on this site

Every game date and start time: the full schedule.

Start times in India (IST), UK, New York (ET), Los Angeles (PT) and Tashkent: every game in your time zone.

A calendar subscription, Google Calendar or a calendar file: add the games to your calendar.

What the two players open with in broadcast games: Gukesh's openings with White and Black · Sindarov's openings with White and Black.

More about the match

Sources and credits

FIDE's article of 14 September 2026 on the schedule and format
FIDE's article of 14 October 2026 on ticket sales (read 17 Oct 2026)
FIDE's official ticket site (read 17 Oct 2026)
FIDE's article of 17 September 2026 on the match's general partner (read 17 Oct 2026)
Regulations for the FIDE World Championship Match 2026 (PDF)
FIDE's article of 12 October 2026 on media accreditation (read 17 Oct 2026)

We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 17 Oct 2026.

Player data: names as published by FIDE in the sources above. To ask for a correction or removal, write to contact@chessopeningscores.com.