The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has officially announced that Glasgow will be the host city for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The Games will take place from July 23 to August 2.
Around 3,000 athletes from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories, representing 2.5 billion people or one-third of the world’s population, are expected to participate.
Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will showcase a 10-sport programme at four venues along an eight-mile corridor, offering over 500,000 tickets to spectators. The Games will maintain the full integration of Para sport, featuring six Para disciplines.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will use four confirmed venues: The Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Scotstoun Stadium, Emirates Arena, and the Scottish Event Campus.
Glasgow 2026 will feature a reduced line-up of 10 sports, including bowls, boxing, and basketball, after a few traditional sports have been omitted from the games programme. This marks a significant decrease from the 19 sports contested in Birmingham, England, during the 2022 Games.
Among the sports missing out compared to the 2022 games in Birmingham are: triathlon, diving, hockey, T20 cricket, squash, badminton and rugby sevens.
The Scottish city was selected to organise the 2026 Commonwealth Games, following the withdrawal of Victoria, Australia, due to escalating expenses. The Games are projected to generate over £100 million in economic investment for the city.
This will be the second time the city will host the Commonwealth Games, having previously done so in 2014 with a more extensive roster of 17 sports.
Commonwealth Games Scotland Chief Executive Jon Doig said the Games will be “lighter and leaner than some previous editions.”
The Games have recently been held in Gold Coast, Australia (2018) and Birmingham, England (2022), following Glasgow’s hosting in 2014.
“The Games promise to be a truly immersive festival of sport and celebration of culture and diversity that inspires athletes and sports – with a fan experience more accessible than ever before,” said CGF CEO Katie Sadleir.
“The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow – an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact – in doing so increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.
“With the reassuring legacy of Glasgow 2014 providing existing sporting, transport and accommodation infrastructure, and world-class venues and expertise, we look forward to working with the Glasgow team to deliver a very special Commonwealth Games in 2026,” she added.
The events confirmed for 2026:
- Athletics and para-athletics (track and field only)
- Swimming and para-swimming
- Artistic gymnastics
- Track cycling and para-track cycling
- Netball
- Weightlifting and para-powerlifting
- Boxing
- Judo
- Bowls and para-bowls
- 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball
