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

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.

Exact details are due to be released in the coming days once the proposals are officially confirmed by the CGF – 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 ten years ago Glasgow played host.

The Glasgow 2014 games saw nearly 5,000 athletes from 71 countries take part.

From the details released so far, there is little clue about when exactly the 2026 games will be held.

They were initially due to be held between 17 March and 29 March when Australia was hosting, but the Scottish weather makes it hard to see these dates staying the same.

In Glasgow 2014 it was between 23 July and 3 August. But the late announcement means there are already some dates in the sporting diary to contend with.

The European Championships is taking place between 30 July and 9 August – but a host city for the event hasn’t been selected yet.

In football, the World Cup is set to take place in the USA from 11 June to 19 July, so organisers will likely want to avoid those dates.

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 ten 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 said in April they will only “pick sports that fit into the venue footprint available”.

CGS had looked at several options in Glasgow to host the athletics that would involve temporary work for spectator seating and new track.

Ian Reid said Scotstoun Stadium in the west-end of Glasgow was the most likely venue to host these events

The multi-purpose arena is the home of Glasgow Warriors rugby team and the national badminton centre.

It has multiple facilities such as a 400m outdoor running track and squash courts.

It would be a big promotion for the venue which hosted squash and table tennis at the last games.

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.

Three other venues have also been widely tipped to host some events.

The Emirates Arena, which was built for Glasgow 2014, is home to Scotland’s only velodrome as well as the Commonwealth arena which Glasgow Rocks basketball team calls home.

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 is favoured to host 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 means renting it could come with a hefty price-tag.

CGS said their proposal would comprise venues within an eight-mile-radius.

This rules 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.