Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games – What do we know so far?

Full details are expected to be released soon when the proposals are confirmed by the Commonwealth Games Federation

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In less than two years, Glasgow will once again welcome athletes from across the globe as it hosts the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) asked the city to step in and host after the state of Victoria in Australia pulled out. It has been said repeatedly that the event will be a much smaller affair than usual and won’t come at any cost to the public purse. There are still some questions regarding the games but here’s what we know about Glasgow 2026 so far. The Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport event which takes place every four years. Dating back to 1930, they were previously known as the British Empire Games. Competitors today are mostly territories of the former empire. Big players include Australia, Jamaica, Canada and each of the nations in Great Britain, who compete separately. It also gives smaller nations of the Commonwealth such as the Solomon Islands and Tonga the chance to compete on the world stage. Scotland has hosted the event on three previous occasions – Edinburgh in 1970 and 1986 and just 10 years ago Glasgow played host. The Glasgow 2014 games saw nearly 5,000 athletes from 71 countries take part. They were initially due to be held between 17 March and 29 March when Australia was hosting. A report by Glasgow City Council has now confirmed that the Games will be held between 23 July and 2 August. That means they’ll be held exactly 12 years after Glasgow 2014 which took place between 23 July and 3 August. It will be a busy summer for major sporting competitions. The European Championships – another multi-sport event – is taking place between 30 July and 9 August – but a host city hasn’t yet been selected. The Commonwealth Games will start just after the football World Cup, set to take place in the USA from 11 June to 19 July. Two years into the Olympic cycle means many sports are due to hold their own quadrennial events in July and August 2026. This includes the Rugby 7s world cup and the men’s Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands – which also might provide a clue to which sports will be left out of Glasgow 2026. Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) has said the event will feature 10 sports, but they haven’t confirmed what these will be. Athletics and swimming will definitely feature, as these were made compulsory sports by the Commonwealth Games Federation in 2021. Organisers can choose from a list of 22 other core sports such as cycling and boxing. The last time the games were in Glasgow, 17 sports were contested. While, basketball was added in 2018 for the Gold Coast Games. A further two sports – beach volleyball and cricket – were added for Birmingham 2022 while shooting was dropped. There was always going to be a drop in the number of sports, as the CGF set out a recommendation that approximately 15 sports should feature at any games from 2026 onwards. Ian Reid, chair of CGS told BBC Scotland News in April they will only “pick sports that fit into the venue footprint available”. The council’s report confirms that no “road-based” events will be included which means no marathon or cycling time trials. The Glasgow city council report also confirmed that the four venues for Glasgow 2026 will be the Emirates Arena, Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre and the Scottish Events Campus. The multi-purpose Scoutstoun arena which is the home of Glasgow Warriors rugby team and the national badminton centre, will host the athletics events. It has multiple facilities such as a 400m outdoor running track and squash courts. The stadium can host around 9,700 rugby fans – less than a quarter of the 44,000 athletics fan who filled Hampden at Glasgow 2014. The Emirates Arena, which was built for Glasgow 2014, is home to Scotland’s only velodrome as well as the Commonwealth arena where Glasgow Rocks basketball team was based up until last year. It previously hosted tennis and indoor athletics competitions. It can hold 7,000 spectators, while the velodrome has the capacity for just under 2,000 people with space for a further 2,000 temporary seats. Just up the road is Tollcross Swimming Pool, which will host the swimming and any additional aquatics events, and the SEC events campus, which hosted multiple events in 2014. These venues are run by Glasgow Life, a Glasgow City Council body. Team Northern Ireland athlete Rhys McClenaghan has already backed the OVO Hydro to host Gymnastics if the sport is included. He said: “My first European title was in Glasgow in the Hydro and I have amazing memories there – when I think of Glasgow I think of gymnastics.” Hampden Park hosted the athletics competitions in 2014 but this is owned by the SFA, which meant renting it could have come with a hefty price-tag. CGS said their proposal would comprise venues within an eight-mile-radius. This ruled out Glasgow 2014 venues Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell which hosted the triathlon, the diving venue of the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh and the Barry Buddon shooting centre in Dundee. Other venues built for the 2014 games, such as the National Hockey centre in the Glasgow’s Gorbals don’t appear to be apart of any plans and neither do the streets of Glasgow city centre which hosted the marathon and cycling time trials in 2014. Glasgow’s scaled back Commonwealth Games will be held between 23 July and 2 August, it has been revealed. 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