2026 Commonwealth Games

For the cancelled bid by the state of Victoria, see Victoria bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

XXIII Commonwealth Games
HostGlasgow, Scotland
Nations74 Commonwealth Games Associations (expected)
Main venueScotstoun Stadium
Websitehttps://glasgowgames2026.com
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The 2026 Commonwealth Games (Scottish Gaelic: Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2026), officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and Glasgow 2026 (Scottish Gaelic: Glaschu 2026; Scots: Glesga 2026), is a planned multi-sport event scheduled to be hosted in Glasgow, Scotland,[1][2][3][4] for members of the Commonwealth of Nations. This will be the fourth Commonwealth Games to be hosted in Scotland, following the 1970 and 1986 games in Edinburgh, and the 2014 games in Glasgow.

For some time, the Games were without a host after the Australian state of Victoria 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 of Gold 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]

Logo of the Commonwealth Games Federation
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2026 Commonwealth Games

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 the Scottish 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]

  1. ^ McCall, Chris (17 September 2024). "Commonwealth Games will return to Glasgow in 2026 after deal agreed". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ Coyle, Andy (17 September 2024). "Glasgow will host 2026 Commonwealth Games after cash injection from Australia". STV News. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  3. ^ Brooks, Libby (17 September 2024). "Glasgow to host 2026 Commonwealth Games after rescue deal agreed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Scotland agrees to host Commonwealth Games in 2026, after Bangkok bid withdrawal". BBC News. 17 July 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Games-Australian state to be confirmed 2026 Commonwealth Games host -report". Devdiscourse. 12 April 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Commonwealth Games: 2026 event in doubt after Victoria cancels". BBC News. 17 July 2023. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Commonwealth Games Costs Too High At Over $6 Billion | Premier of Victoria". www.premier.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  8. ^ Karp, Paul; Kelly, Cait; Ore, Adeshola (18 July 2023). "Australia Commonwealth Games 2026: Victoria cancels event after costs blow out to $7bn". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  9. ^ Trainer, Paul (11 August 2024). "Reports: Glasgow set to be announced as host city for Commonwealth Games 2026". GlasgowWorld. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  10. ^ Dewar, Heather (12 August 2024). "No decision as yet on host nation for troubled 2026 Commonwealth Games despite offer from Glasgow". Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Victorian taxpayers would pay for Scotland's $220m Commonwealth Games under new proposal". The Guardian. 1 September 2024. Archived from the original on 1 September 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Commonwealth Games Scotland Update on Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games". Team Scotland. 30 August 2024. Archived from the original on 1 September 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.