The Commonwealth Games will be returning to Glasgow in 2026 but with a much smaller footprint than the successful edition held in 2014. These drastic, last-minute changes to the core of the Games has effectively saved the event from extinction.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Tuesday confirmed its September 17 announcement that plans by Glasgow to host the quadrennial Games were to move forward after the Scottish and UK governments removed political roadblocks. A website and social media channels were refreshed with a new logo and branding and further details about the Games set to open in a record breaking low 638 days.
To be staged in four venues along an eight mile stretch, 10 sports will feature including athletics and para athletics (track & 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. A dozen other sports that were staged at the most recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022 were dropped from the program, allowing Scottish officials to deliver a low cost Games in less than two years. Games are typically organized with more than five years notice.
Notably missing from the program are major team sports including hockey, rugby sevens and cricket. Squash, set to appear at the Olympics for the first time at Los Angeles 2028, also lost its spot after appearing in seven straight Commonwealth Games. A statement from the World Squash Federation (WSF) Tuesday said they were “deeply disappointed” that the sport will miss out despite “existing infrastructure” that was used at the 2014 Games.
The axed sports have been assured by the CGF that they will remain on equal footing when building programs for future Games.
Still, as many as 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations are expected to compete and will be accommodated in existing hotels. Events will take place from Thursday 23 July to Sunday 2 August 2026 at four venues – Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Emirates Arena (including the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome), and the Scottish Event Campus.
Organizers say 500,000 tickets will be available and will go on sale at a future date.
CGF CEO Katie Sadleir said in a statement “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.
“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.”
Only months ago it seemed the Commonwealth had seen its last Games when no cities came forward to host. Launched in 1930 as the British Empire Games the event gives athletes from many smaller nations an opportunity to shine on a world stage. But the prospect of missing a 2026 edition made a centennial Games in 2030 seem elusive.
The CGF has promised to fund Glasgow 2026 with 100 million pounds (USD $130 million), part of the payment received from the Victoria government in Australia after the state backed put of hosting the event last year. The Australian government also extended an incentive of 2.3 million pounds (USD $3 million) to Glasgow if the city decided to host – a way of saving face after plunging the CGF into an existential crisis. The Games are expected to be privately funded, though security services will be provided by the government.
The cycle of events that forced Glasgow to step in and save the Games started almost ten years ago. 1978 Games host Edmonton, Canada bowed out of the 2022 race due to the global drop in oil prices that severely impacted the Alberta’s provincial government budget. That left only Durban in the race, and the South African city was elected unopposed only a few months later making it the first potential host on the African continent.
Durban struggled to organize the Games and in 2017 the CGF canceled the host contract after key milestones were missed and the Games were at risk. At the time, the 2026 bid campaign was already heating up and interest had been expressed for those Games from among Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi and Melbourne. Near the deadline only a few months later Birmingham along with Victoria, Canada and Kuala Lumpur remained interested – but only Birmingham had met the requirements and was awarded the Games.
That took Birmingham out of the 2026 race and further delayed the campaign that had to effectively restart.
The CGF struggled to find new candidates for a 2026 race, with interest emerging from Canada, Australia and Asia but none with any solid government commitments. The Covid pandemic further hampered efforts as nations rightly prioritized health and economic issues over event planning. The CGF pitched the Games as a tool for regional pandemic recovery, but interest remained tepid.
Meanwhile Hamilton, Canada put together plans to bid for the 2030 centennial edition – hoping to bring the Games back to the city for the first time since it was inaugurated. Organizers said the sentimental connection to the anniversary was key to a successful Games. The CGF urged the city to consider hosting in 2026 instead and offered Hamilton an exclusive window to submit a proposal to host those Games.
The bid committee made the pivot and explored the new opportunity, but Hamilton’s city council was cautious due to the shortened time span, missed centennial opportunity and the risks associated with Covid recovery. Ultimately the bid was scuppered by the Ontario provincial government after it denied necessary funding for the event that would take place just weeks away from FIFA World Cup matches in nearby capital Toronto.
The CGF reopened up its search for a 2026 host while reports surfaced that Sri Lanka, Australia and Victoria in Canada were considering entering bids.
But it was the state of Victoria in Australia that in 2022 earned an exclusive window to bid for the Games, and two months later was elected to host the 2026 Games.
Fifteen months later in July 2023 Victoria had second thoughts and its premier pulled the plug on the Games, backing out of the contract and leaving the CGF without a host only three years before the opening ceremony. The premier blamed budgetary concerns for the cancelation, claiming estimated costs had more than doubled from (AUD) $2.6 billion to as much as $7 billion. The CGF blamed scope creep for the additional costs, accusing Victoria officials of ignoring advice and adding additional sports and venues to plans that were not necessary.
The Victoria government agreed to pay AUD $380 million (USD $255 million) to the CGF to cover damages, and from that the CGF offered a replacement host a USD $130 million investment.
That offer sparked interest from various parties including London, Ahmedabad in India, Gold Coast in Australia, Christchurch in New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore, but no deals were closed. Finally Glasgow came to the table with a plan to leverage its 2014 Games legacy and stage a downsized program that could be organized in a short period for minimal costs.
The CGF hoped to sign a deal with Glasgow last May, but the Scottish government had yet to approve plans.
The CGF had toyed with other options to deliver a 2026 Games in an extremely short timeframe including delaying the Games until 2027, or holding events in several nations across the Commonwealth.
The CGF hopes the new low-cost compact model staged in Scotland in 2026 will become a model for future hosts, renewing interest in the event that many regions considered was financially out of reach. CGF has claimed that there is interest from regions looking to host in 2030, but no bids have been named.
There had been interest in staging future editions with more time to prepare – including Alberta for 2030, but the Canadian province dropped those plans after Victoria canceled. New Zealand hopes to host in 2034 or beyond.