Paris, Jan 10 (IANS): Swimming's world governing body FINA has named the eight cities that will host the 2015 World Cup series, including Chartres in France as a new venue.

Launched in 1979, the FINA Swimming World Cup gathers world-class swimmers in a series of two-day meets, each featuring 36 events, including two mixed relays, reports Xinhua.

The circuit is structured in clusters (Middle East, Europe and Asia) and distributes a total of prize money reaching $2 million, according to FINA's website.

Chartres has been expected to be one of the highlights of the 2015 circuit, with reports earlier last month of Michael Phelps making his comeback debut there after a six-month suspension by the US ruling body.

The meet will be held Aug 15-16, following the first stop of the season in Moscow Aug 11-12, which is just two days after the conclusion of the world championships in Kazan, Russia.

France is returning to hosting the World Cup after a couple of decades away as Paris was a host in the 1990s during an earlier version of the World Cup that ran through the winter months.

The series will continue through to November in six cities familiar with the World Cup series -- Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo, Doha and Dubai.