Azerbaijan started 2026 in seventh place in the global chess nations ranking.
As reported by "İdman.Biz", the International Chess Federation (FIDE) released the country rankings based on the average rating of each nation’s top ten players.
According to this indicator, Azerbaijan’s men’s team has a rating of 2625 points, which places the country seventh overall. Azerbaijan trails France by two points and is two points ahead of Ukraine.
The top ten chess nations as of the beginning of 2026 are as follows: 1. USA (2727), 2. India (2712), 3. China (2653), 4. Russia (2652), 5. Germany (2628), 6. France (2627), 7. Azerbaijan (2625), 8. Ukraine (2623), 9. Hungary (2620), 10. Netherlands (2617).
In the women’s ranking, Azerbaijan is placed 11th with 2299 points. To break into the top ten, Azerbaijani female players need to overtake Germany, from which the country currently trails by 32 points, a significant gap in the nations’ rankings.
The top ten chess nations among women are: 1. China (2495), 2. India (2400), 3. Ukraine (2383), 4. Germany (2373), 5. USA (2365), 6. Russia (2362), 7. Poland (2350), 8. France (2344), 9. Kazakhstan (2333), 10. Germany (2331).
Teymur Tushiyev
