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| Host | Glasgow, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Nations | 74 Commonwealth Games Associations (expected) |
| Athletes | 3,000 (expected) |
| Events | 215 in 10 sports[1] |
| Opening | 23 July 2026[2] |
| Closing | 2 August 2026 |
| Main venue | Scottish Event Campus |
| Website | Glasgow 2026 |
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| Part of a series on |
| 2026 Commonwealth Games |
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The2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as theXXIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known asGlasgow 2026, is a planned multi-sport event scheduled from 23 July to 2 August 2026, to be hosted inGlasgow, the largest city inScotland, for members of theCommonwealth of Nations.[3][4] This will be the fourthCommonwealth Games to be hosted in Scotland, following the1970 and1986 games inEdinburgh, and the2014 Games in Glasgow. The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be the first to be held since the death ofQueen Elizabeth II and the accession ofKing Charles III asHead of the Commonwealth. This will be the first Commonwealth Games under the CGF presidency ofDonald Rukare.
For some time, the Games were without a host after the Australian state ofVictoria withdrew, having initially been announced as the host in April 2022.[5] On 18 July 2023, the Victorian state government cancelled its plans due to escalating cost projections. The city ofGold Coast, Queensland, briefly offered to co-host the event but later withdrew for similar reasons. With no host, there was a risk that the Games might be postponed to 2027 or cancelled entirely.[6][7][8] On 11 August 2024, reports surfaced that Glasgow had reached an agreement to take over the hosting rights,[9] but the next day it was clarified that talks were ongoing with no final agreement or imminent announcement. Commonwealth Games Scotland proposed a scaled-back version of the event, featuring 10 to 13 sports and using existing infrastructure, with £100 million in funding from the Commonwealth Games Federation and an additional £30 to 50 million from commercial sources, ensuring no significant public funds would be required.[10]
A further update on 30 August 2024 confirmed that the Games would be primarily funded by AU$200 million, secured as compensation from the Victorian government following their withdrawal.[11][12] On 17 September 2024, it was announced that theScottish Government had agreed to host the games with financial backing from Commonwealth Games Australia.[4] The scaled-down and low-cost Games will feature 10 sports taking place over four venues and no athletes' village.[4][13]
During the CGF General Assembly on 31 March 2017 inGold Coast, after the troubled2022 Commonwealth Games host city bid process, the executive board announced that it had planned to award both 2026 and 2030Commonwealth Games simultaneously at the CGF General Assembly scheduled forKigali, Rwanda in September 2019. A new model called CGF Partnerships (CGFP) was implemented which aimed to give stronger support to the associations and cities that show interests in hosting future Games and enhance the overall value of the event. This is similar to the process used by theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2017.[14][15]
In 2015, the South African city ofDurban originally won the rights to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but was stripped of this right in 2017 due to financial concerns.[16][17] As a result, Birmingham moved up its planned Games from 2026 to 2022.[18] This left the 2026 Games without a host and bids fromKuala Lumpur,Cardiff,Calgary,Edmonton andAdelaide were all withdrawn due to concerns over costs, with a hosting decision not made by the Commonwealth Games Federation between 2019 and 2022.[18]
In January 2022, theVictorian State Government announced it was giving serious consideration to a late request from the CGF to host the Games. On 16 February 2022,Premier of VictoriaDaniel Andrews confirmed that the state was in exclusive negotiations with the CGF to host the Games.[19] It was stated that if successful in hosting the Games a second time, a Victorian bid would aim to emphasise the state's regional centres—such asGeelong,Ballarat andBendigo—as opposed to being predominantlyMelbourne-based, such as in2006. Bendigo had previously hosted the2004 Commonwealth Youth Games. Acceptance of the bid would likely also be conditional upon agreement on ways to control costs, such as housing athletes and officials in hotels rather than a dedicated village.[20][21] This bid was confirmed as successful on 12 April 2022.[22]
On 18 July 2023, Andrews and Deputy PremierJacinta Allan announced the state government intended to cancel the 2026 Victorian Games.[6][8] Fifteen months after agreeing to host the Games, the Premier said the cost had escalated to an estimatedA$6–7billion, double the estimated economic benefits for the state, and the government could not justify the expense.[23] The state said it would terminate its host agreement with the Commonwealth Games Federation and seek a settlement of the contract.[7] The withdrawal prompted a new search for a host for the 2026 Games.[24]
| City / region | Nation | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria |  Australia | Unanimous (2022) Withdrew (2023) |
TheMayor of LondonSadiq Khan subsequently said he was "ready" to support theLondon bid to replace Victoria as the host.[25] TheFirst Minister of ScotlandHumza Yousaf also stated that he was "willing to consider proposals" for Scotland to host at least some of the events at the Games.[26]
On 4 December 2023, the Gold Coast ruled itself out of hosting the games.[27] On the same day, the British government confirmed that there would be "no UK rescue" for the games and that they would not be hosted in the United Kingdom, citing that there is no financial appetite or any preliminary planning in place to allow another British city to intervene again afterBirmingham 2022.[28]
On 11 March 2024, theOlympic Council of Malaysia revealed that the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) had offered Malaysia approximately £100 million to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games on a smaller scale than initially planned, with discussions ongoing.[29] However, on 22 March 2024, the Malaysian Cabinet declined the offer, stating that the £100 million would be insufficient to cover the event's costs. Furthermore, the Federal Government was unwilling to use taxpayers' money to fund the games, especially given the risk of a scheduling clash with the2027 SEA Games, also set to be held in Malaysia.[30]
On 14 March 2024, theSingapore National Olympic Council (SNOC),Sport Singapore (SportSG), and Commonwealth Games Singapore (CGS) announced they were exploring the feasibility of hosting the games, including the possibility of a joint proposal with Malaysia to reduce expenses. However, on 3 April 2024, CGS and SportSG confirmed that Singapore would not submit a bid.[31]
On 8 April 2024, the CGF indicated that a new host for the 2026 Games might be announced the following month, and on 9 April 2024,Ghana's Minister for Youth and Sports,Mustapha Ussif, expressed interest in hosting the event followingAccra's successful hosting of the2023 African Games in March 2024.[32][33]
On 11 April 2024, it was announced thatGlasgow was considered as a "last possibility" to host the 2026 Games in the event, if no other host was forthcoming, in an alternative to safeguard the Games.[34] It was reported that the Games would be in a smaller scale and could reuse venues from the2014 Commonwealth Games. Accommodation for the athletes would comprise hotels, and possibly a combination ofGlasgow Caledonian University andUniversity of Glasgow student residences.[34] Furthermore, the costs of the Games would be covered fully by theCommonwealth Games Federation and their other corporate sponsors.[34] Discussions were ongoing betweenCommonwealth Games Scotland, theScottish Government, and EventScotland with a confirmed bid expected by the end of the month.[35] However, the bid documents would not end up being submitted at that time. On 25 July 2024, the BBC reported that a decision would be made in August.[36]
On 11 August 2024, it was speculated that an agreement was reached for Glasgow to take over the hosting rights of the games.[9] A statement from theCommonwealth Games Council for Scotland issued on 30 August 2024, suggested a compact and low scale games concept with 10 sports across four venues including theScotstoun Stadium and theTollcross International Swimming Centre.[12]
On 17 September 2024, it was announced that theScottish Government had agreed to host the games with compensation from Victoria.[4]
| City / region | Nation | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Glasgow |  Scotland | Unanimous |
The following venues are expected to be used for the 2026 Commonwealth Games:[2][37]
| Venue | Events | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Opening and/or Closing Ceremonies | TBC | Existing |
| Scotstoun Stadium | Athletics | 10,000-11,000 | Existing, renovated |
| Tollcross International Swimming Centre | Swimming | 2,000 | Existing |
| Commonwealth Arena | Artistic Gymnastics | 5,000 | |
| Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome | Track Cycling | 2,000 | |
| SEC Armadillo | Weightlifting | 3,000 | |
| SEC Centre | 3x3 Basketball | TBD | Existing with temporary stands |
| Bowls | TBD | ||
| Boxing | TBD | ||
| Judo | TBD | ||
| The Hydro | Netball | 12,306 | Existing |
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The King's Baton was officially launched on 10 March 2025, to mark the start of the 500 days countdown, withKing Charles III handing over the baton to the first runner, SirChris Hoy. The baton was designed by Tim Norman and is made fromash wood. The Games organisation decided that he would be sent to the Caribbean region to start the global relay with Port of Spain, in Trinidad and Tobago, as the first international stop. The choice of Trinidad and Tobago was as a result of the country successfully hosting the2023 Commonwealth Youth Games. The Caribbean part of the Baton Relay will culminate inSaint Vincent and the Grenadines on Saturday 14 June, before the African leg (15 June to 24 October), then Asia (25 October to 21 December), Oceania (2 January to 26 March 2026), Americas (27 March to 6 May 2026), and Europe (8 May to 23 July 2026).
For the first time ever, each of the current 74 Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) will receive their own Baton, crafted in Glasgow, and being able to customise it according to their culture. Thus, each place where each of these pieces has passed through will be able to customise it as part of the demonstration of its culture or local characteristics, with total creative freedom for this, breaking the tradition of a baton as a mere museum piece. Another tradition that will be broken will be that of the formal passage of the object from one country or territory to another, eliminating any possibility of using fuel or causing a traffic jam during the trip, giving new opportunities for local people. Thanks to this innovative format, the 18th Baton Relay will be the longest and most inclusive for a Commonwealth Games, with the 74 CGAs each having up to six days to organise their series of activities, giving opportunities to each one to have more time to celebrate. Also as the first time as part of The King's Baton Relay, Commonwealth Sport is partnering with theRoyal Commonwealth Society (RCS) to elaborate and demonstrate the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign – bringing much-needed attention to both ongoing ocean conservation efforts and interesting new solutions to re-using plastic waste.
The King's Baton Relay will culminate at the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2026 on 23 July 2026, as a traditional and fundamental part of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremonies.[38][39][40]
As part of the proposed plan put forward by Commonwealth Games Scotland, the opening and closing ceremonies are expected to be scaled down compared to previous Games.[41] It is unknown as of yet whether the ceremonies will take place in a stadium or another venue in Glasgow.
The opening ceremony will take place on 23 July 2026.
The closing ceremony will take place on 2 August 2026 which will include the formal handover to the next Commonwealth Games host cityAmdavad, which will be known as the Commonwealth Centenary Games in 2030.
All 74Commonwealth Games Associations are expected to participate in the 2026 Commonwealth Games.Gabon andTogo are expected to make their debuts since joining the Commonwealth of Nations in June 2022.
Given the urgency and lack of time to organise the event, this will be the first time since1994 Commonwealth Games that the programme will have only 10 sports, including the two compulsory sports:[42]
Six of the included sports will include a Para sport element. These are Para Athletic, Para Track Cycling, 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball, Para Swimming, Para Bowls, and Para Powerlifting.[13]
Sports dropped from theprevious Games includerugby sevens,field hockey,badminton,triathlon,Twenty20 cricket,squash,diving,table tennis,beach volleyball,rhythmic gymnastics, andwrestling. Some outdoor public access events in retained sports such as athletics (marathons and race walking) and cycling (mountain bike and road cycling) were also dropped due to costs, while the bowls competition will be held in the indoor bowls format, rather than the traditional lawn bowls format. Several sports programs have received changes in their formats. In some cases, the number of quotas has increased, in other cases a new variety will be played for the first time.[42][43][44]
The Games will feature the largest number of Para sport events in Commonwealth Games history, with 47 finals across six sports.
Organisers decided to add the mixed 4x400 race and opted for the return of theMile event instead of the 1,500m track event. The mile was last held in1966; organisers considered the revival an homage to the "Miracle Mile" fromVancouver 1954 betweenRoger Bannister andJohn Landy, and for the first time ever, this event will be contested by women. Parathletics will see athletes competing in the three disciplines of the sport: jumping, throwing and track events.
The number of teams in the 3x3 basketball tournaments has been expanded. While the number of teams in the standing tournament has increased from 12, the number of wheelchair teams has increased to 8.
Another major development in Glasgow will be the redesign of the bowls competition, which will now be held indoors and not on grass. With the revised program, the number of events will drop from 11 to 7, as the triples and fours competitions have been removed.[45][46]
Despite the non-occurrence of mountain biking and street events, the number of cycling events held was maintained at 26. However, the number of parasports events doubled from 4 to 8.
The number of events in the swimming program increased from 52 to 54 across both Para and non Para competitions, with the addition of the 800m freestyle event for men and the 1500m freestyle event for women.
The schedule was released on 31 July 2025.[47][48][49]
| OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Gold medal events | CC | Closing ceremony |
| July/August 2026 | July | August | Events | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23rd Thu | 24th Fri | 25th Sat | 26th Sun | 27th Mon | 28th Tue | 29th Wed | 30th Thu | 31st Fri | 1st Sat | 2nd Sun | |||
_Black.svg) Ceremonies | OC | CC | N/a | ||||||||||
 3x3 basketball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 4 | 4 | ||||||
_pictogram.svg) Artistic gymnastics | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 14 | |||||||
 Athletics | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 59 | ||||||
 Bowls | ● | ● | ● | ● | 3 | ● | ● | ● | ● | 4 | 7 | ||
 Boxing | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 14 | 14 | ||||
 Judo | 5 | 5 | 4 | 14 | |||||||||
 Netball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | |||
.svg) Para powerlifting | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||
 Swimming | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 56 | ||||||
_pictogram.svg) Track cycling | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 26 | ||||||||
 Weightlifting | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | |||||||
| Daily medal events | 0 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 17 | 21 | 44 | 15 | 215 | |
| Cumulative total | 0 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 63 | 90 | 116 | 133 | 154 | 198 | 215 | ||
| July/August 2026 | 23rd Thu | 24th Fri | 25th Sat | 26th Sun | 27th Mon | 28th Tue | 29th Wed | 30th Thu | 31st Fri | 1st Sat | 2nd Sun | Total events | |
| July | August | ||||||||||||
The logo for the 2026 Commonwealth Games was described as a "historic first", integrating the Commonwealth Games Federation logo with the visual and institutional identity of the city of Glasgow. It features symbolic representations of theRiver Clyde and theClyde Arc bridge, interwoven within the Commonwealth Sport celebration mark, displayed in the colours of the waterfront. It was created by Glasgow-based agency Loop Design.[50]
The official tartan for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was unveiled in July 2025 and created in collaboration with award-winning Scottish fashion designer Siobhan Mackenzie.[51] Registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans, the design incorporates the vivid blue, pink, and purple tones of Glasgow 2026 set against a steel grey base – a symbolic nod to the city's industrial heritage. The tartan's thread count carries deeper meaning: 74 grey threads represent the number of participating nations and territories, while a bold blue thread count of 26 pays tribute to the year of the Games. The tartan will be produced in Scotland using local textiles and manufacturers.[52]
The official mascot for the 2026 Commonwealth Games was scheduled to be unveiled on 23 July 2025, marking exactly one year until the start of the Games. The mascot was designed by schoolchildren across Scotland, encouraging creativity and youth participation in the lead-up to the international sporting event. Ahead of the announcement, promotional efforts included a light-hearted video released on 9 July 2025 featuring Clyde, the popular thistle mascot of the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow.[53]
On 23 July 2025 the mascot of the games was announcement as Finnie, a Glaswegianunicorn.[54] She is named after the city'sFinnieston Crane and sports a traffic cone as her horn, referencing the custom of putting a traffic cone onGlasgow's Duke of Wellington statue. The unicorn is Scotland'snational animal and supporter of theroyal coat of arms of Scotland.[55]
Scotland's reigning 10,000m Commonwealth Champion,Eilish McColgan, was announced as the first official Games Ambassador for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on 21 July 2025.[56] WeightlifterEmily Campbell, gymnastJake Jarman, wheelchair basketball playerRobyn Love and swimmerDuncan Scott were all subsequently announced as Ambassadors.[57][58][59][60]
| Sponsors of the 2026 Commonwealth Games[61] |
|---|
| Principal Partner |
| Partners |
| Providers |
Registration for 500,000 pre-sale tickets for the Commonwealth Games opened and will run until 16 October, giving priority to fans from the host city and country, with general public sales due to open on 30 October 2025. Tickets will be available from £26 for medal sessions and £17 for non-medal sessions, with concession tickets starting at £12.[71][72]
| Preceded by Birmingham | Commonwealth Games Glasgow XXIII Commonwealth Games | Succeeded by Amdavad |
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