Glasgow has been confirmed as the host city for the streamlined 2026 Commonwealth Games, following the withdrawal of the original host, the Australian state of Victoria, last year due to rising costs.
The Scottish government gave the green light to Glasgow last month, and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced on Tuesday that the city, which hosted the 2014 Games, will stage the next event from July 23 to August 2, 2026.
This iteration of the Games will feature only 10 sports, a significant reduction from the 19 sports showcased at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, England.
Para sports will be fully integrated once again, with six para sports included in the programme. The event will feature athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls, as well as 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.
Notably absent from the 2026 Games are triathlon, diving, hockey, T20 cricket, squash, badminton, and rugby sevens.
Around 3,000 athletes from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories are expected to compete. The CGF anticipates that Glasgow 2026 will generate over $130 million in inward investment for the city.
CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir expressed delight at confirming Glasgow as the host city, emphasizing that the streamlined model aims to increase the pool of potential future hosts by making the Games more affordable and sustainable.
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Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid acknowledged the difficulty in deciding which sports to include, citing the need to make the event more affordable and lighter. He also suggested that the programme could vary for future Games depending on the available venues.
The CGF stated that no public funding would be needed to deliver the Glasgow Games, with Australia covering part of the costs following Victoria’s withdrawal, which was due to projected costs exceeding $4 billion.
The Commonwealth Games, held every four years, originated from the British Empire Games and primarily includes countries and territories that were once part of the British Empire.
