Glasgow will be the replacement host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games with a “lighter and leaner” sports program

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

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

The sports are athletics and para-athletics, swimming and para-swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para-track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para-powerlifting, boxing, judo, boccia and para-bowling, as well as 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.

Sports disciplines that were on the program in 2022 and 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 reimagine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimizes costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and increases social impact – increasing the number of countries that can host,” said Katie Sadleir, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation said in a press release.

The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event similar to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

They are aimed at athletes from Great Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations – mostly former British colonies – particularly 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Birmingham became host of the 2022 Games in December 2017, after Durban, South Africa, was withdrawn as host in March 2017 for failing to meet its obligations, including financial ones.

Jon Doig, chief executive of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said the games would be “lighter and slimmer than some previous editions”.

“While Glasgow 2026 will look very different to previous Games, we can and must use this as an opportunity to work together to ensure this new approach delivers a strong and sustainable future for the Games,” said John Swinney, First Minister Scotland.