Glasgow named 2026 Commonwealth Games replacement host with ‘lighter and leaner’ sports program

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be in Glasgow, Scotland, replacing the Australian state of Victoria, which in 2023 withdrew from hosting due to costs.

There will be 10 sports at the 2026 Games, down from 19 at the last edition in 2022 in Birmingham, England.

The sports are track and field and Para track and field, swimming and Para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and Para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and Para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and Para bowls and 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.

Sport disciplines that were on the program in 2022 and are not in 2026 are badminton, beach volleyball, cricket, diving, field hockey, mountain biking, rhythmic gymnastics, road cycling, rugby sevens, squash, table tennis, triathlon and wrestling.

‘’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 minimizes costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact — in doing so increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting,” Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Katie Sadleir said in a press release.

The Commonwealth Games are a quadrennial multi-sport event similar to the Olympics and Paralympics.

They are for athletes from Great Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations — mostly former British colonies — notably Australia, Canada, Jamaica and South Africa. Those that make up Great Britain at the Olympics, including England, Scotland and Wales, field separate teams at the Commonwealth Games.

Glasgow hosted the Games in 2014, followed by Gold Coast, Australia, in 2018 and Birmingham, England, in 2022.

Birmingham became host of the 2022 Games in December 2017 after Durban, South Africa, was stripped as host in March 2017 for failing to meet commitments, including financial ones.

Commonwealth Games Scotland Chief Executive Jon Doig said the Games will be “lighter and leaner than some previous editions.”

“While Glasgow 2026 will look quite different to previous Games, we can, and we must, use this as an opportunity to work collaboratively to ensure that this new concept brings a strong and sustainable future for the Games,” said John Swinney, the First Minister of Scotland.