Glasgow 2026

A Guide to Glasgow 2026

Overview

When will the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games take place?
The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games will take place from Thursday 23 July to Sunday 2 August 2026.

How many sports are included?
Glasgow 2026 will include 10 sports, including six para sports.

Athletics and Para Athletics
Swimming and Para Swimming
Artistic Gymnastics
Cycling Track and Para Cycling Track
Netball
Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting
Boxing
Judo
Bowls and Para Bowls
3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball

What sport venues will be used?
The following four venues will be used:

The Emirates Arena including the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome
The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) including the SEC Armadillo, SEC Centre and The Hydro
Scotstoun Stadium
Tollcross International Swimming Centre

How many athletes do you expect to participate in the Games?
We’re projecting that athlete numbers will be around 2,500-3,000. There were approximately 5,000 athletes at Glasgow 2014 and Birmingham 2022.

Sports

How many sports are included?
Glasgow 2026 is about delivering a lighter and leaner programme of sports to ensure that we strike a balance between ensuring the event has a high-quality multi-sport feel but that can be delivered to the highest level in a short timeframe on a budget which does not rely on public funds to deliver the Games.

A key part of that is using existing world-class sports and events venues and managing the number of athletes attending.

But, whilst Glasgow 2026 might feel different to recent Games, for the majority of the history of the Commonwealth Games the event has been held with approximately 10 sports. Post-1998 the Games have been flexible ranging between 15-20. Flexibility in the future will be important for hosts.

In June 2023, the CGF launched their 10-year strategy - Commonwealth United - which was produced in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including athletes, international federations, broadcasters, event suppliers and Commonwealth Games Associations.

The direction of travel was very much towards a more sustainable Games format that unlocked the potential for more nations to be in the position to host. Importantly, Commonwealth United, focuses on how the Games could be transformed into a collaborative and truly sustainable model, minimising costs and reducing its environmental footprint, whilst also increasing social impact, creating a modern, flexible blueprint for the future that inspires athletes, excites potential Hosts and International Federations, and is in the best interests of the wider Commonwealth Sport Movement.

This included revision on the classification of mandatory sports, formally introduced in 2022 (reducing the number of compulsory sports to two to provide greater host nation flexibility).

How were the sports selected?
The host nation identifies the sports programme to be included in the Games, but the CGF has two compulsory sports that must be included – Athletics/Para Athletics and Swimming/Para Swimming.

The remaining sports are then chosen based on several considerations including CGF Regulation 6 which outlines the factors and criteria they consider when approving a sports programme to be included in the Commonwealth Games.

These factors include:

Universality of participation
Quality of competition
Benefit to Games hosts, including local appeal, cost and operational complexity
Alignment with CGF values
Creating a balanced programme

For the sport programme for Glasgow 2026 we also took into consideration so key factors including:

Maintaining manageable total athlete numbers
Fitting within a small number of existing venues, ideally with established operational plans for sport delivery
Minimising risks and uncertainty of legislative/planning complications due to the time and budgetary constraints

A sport selection panel considered all factors before making a recommendation to the CGF’s Sport Committee and Executive Board.

What about the sports and athletes not included?
We know how much the Commonwealth Games means to athletes and sports, so we naturally understand those sports which aren’t included will be incredibly disappointed. This is the case with every Games cycle, but clearly more are missing out on this occasion.

From our engagement with sports, we know they understand that this was the best route towards securing a sustainable future for the Commonwealth Games, and the sport selection in 2026 will not influence the programme for future Games.

Venues

Why did you pick those four venues?
The CGF has two compulsory sports – athletics and Para athletics and swimming and para swimming – which led to the identification of Scotstoun Stadium and Tollcross International Swimming Centre as the best venues to host those disciplines.

Following that we looked to identify sites that would be most operationally viable and economically valuable to the Games concept, ideally with some able to host multiple sports at the same site. Not only does this provide significant budget savings through reduced hire, branding, security and transport costs but it also reduced the risk to delivery as we are using venues who are experienced in delivering world class events.

Given the location and quality of facilities, the SEC and the Emirates Arena / Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome were selected as the optimal venues for hosting multiple sports.

Will there be any capital investment into facilities?
Yes, multi-million-pound investments will be made into the sporting facilities, including a new athletics track at Scotstoun Stadium.

This will save the public purse a significant amount of money given the need for those facility upgrades, leaving a tangible long-term legacy for local communities.

Will any facilities be built for the Games?
No, we have no plan to build new facilities.

We want to make this the most sustainable Games, financially and structurally, and as Glasgow has a range of excellent facilities which were developed for Glasgow 2014 and other major events the region has hosted successfully over the last decade, we will be looking to make the most of the facilities available.

Some overlay may be required in venues (e.g. temporary stands, surface work etc.) but there is no requirement or plans for new facilities to be built.

Was Hampden Park (host of athletics at Glasgow 2014) considered for athletics?
Given the amount of investment required in converting Hampden Park in 2014, it was determined Hampden wasn’t a solution which would be a viable option on this occasion.

Why did you not consider adding additional venues?
We want Glasgow 2026 to be the best it can be and given the relatively short time frame to deliver the Games, cost and operational risk were the main drivers for not increasing the number of venues.

Every additional venue introduced brings added costs and complexity for venue hire, security, transport etc. To minimise those risks it was determined that it would be too costly to add additional venues.

Did you consider venues outside of Glasgow?
Introducing venues outside the Glasgow City Council footprint brings added complexity and cost. Therefore, in order reduce the budget and operational delivery risk we took the decision to keep a compact footprint within Glasgow.

Will sports be held in general public areas (e.g. streets and roads)?
We have not included sporting events held in public areas. Whilst we understand this will be disappointing for impacted athletes and some fans, the decision brings significant savings in transport and security costs, and minimises the disruption for the general public by avoiding road closures.

Our ticketing strategy and city activation will ensure the Games will be accessible to all, despite the absence of non-ticketed events like these.

Which sports will take place in which venues?
We are still working on identifying which sports will be in which venues and this is subject to final confirmation. We will announce further details on sports and venues in due course.

Scotstoun Stadium and Campus is a multi-sport venue – could it host more than one sport?
This is something we have explored but due to operational challenges with hosting athletics at Scotstoun, it is not possible to host other sports at Scotstoun within the period of athletics competition.

Finances

How does hosting the event benefit Scotland economically?
The Glasgow 2026 Games brings huge economic benefit to Glasgow and to Scotland including:

£100 million towards the cost of running the Games, with the remainder funded through commercial opportunities.
An additional multi-million-pound investment into upgrading public sporting facilities, relieving the public purse of this pressure.
Funding for city activation projects across Glasgow.

The inward investment to the Glasgow and Scottish economies of that magnitude will bring significant benefits, with an anticipated 500,000 tickets available to spectators and an estimated economic value add of over £150 million to the region.

To put that into context, in 2023-24 Scotland saw £1.89bn of capital investment – the Glasgow 2026 Games will provide over 5% of that figure alone, without a reliance on public spending to deliver the Games.

Glasgow 2026 will provide a wide range of additional economic benefits including:

⁠⁠The creation of a Scotland-focused procurement strategy which provides operational and event-based contracts for Scottish suppliers and ultimately creates a significant number of Scottish jobs, in line with other similar sized events
⁠⁠Continued utilisation and development of the world-class event specialists in Scotland
⁠⁠Full hotel occupancy across Glasgow in the summer of 2026
⁠⁠Fully booked world-class sports venues
⁠⁠Hundreds of thousands of city visitors filling bars and restaurants

Financial Risk

How much will the Games cost?
The projected cost of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games is calculated at approximately £114 million, devised by a team of experienced major event budgeting professionals using benchmarked costings.

In addition to this we have budgeted a very prudent contingency and there is also an additional funding from the CGF to:

Invest in capital upgrades
Deliver activities during the Games to generate excitement and engagement out with the sporting venues

How will this be funded?
The CGF has made £100 million available to fund the core budget, with additional funding made available for capital upgrades and city activation.

Commonwealth Games Australia has also offered an investment of £2.3 million to support Games delivery. Whilst the Games does not require public funding for delivery, the UK Government has also made an additional £2.3 million available as contingency towards security costs if required.

The balance will be funded by commercial revenues including ticket sales, broadcast revenues, commercial sponsorship and merchandise.

The vast majority of the funding, therefore, is secured and in place.

Does the concept require public funding?
Given the current economic challenges facing the country, we have been clear from the outset of our planning that we do not require – nor have we ever asked for - public funding or a public underwrite from Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government or the UK Government to deliver the Games.

However, the UK Government has made an additional £2.3 million available as contingency towards security costs if required.

What if costs go up?
There are several controls in place to ensure Glasgow 2026 is delivered on budget including a contingency in the Games budget and in agreement with the CGF, we have the scope to adjust service levels to reduce costs where required.

It is worth noting that the last three Commonwealth Games events were delivered under budget.

Does the CGF require an underwrite?
No – there is no requirement from the CGF for the Games to be underwritten. They are very comfortable with the budget proposed for Glasgow 2026 and that the financial risk has been covered.

Recent Games budgets have ranged from £450 - £750 million – how is such a budget reduction achievable?
The budget for Glasgow 2026 is comparable to events of a similar size Glasgow and similar cities have hosted in recent years.

The UCI World Cycling Championships, held in Glasgow in 2023, delivered a greater number of sport disciplines (13), with a similar number of athletes, for less than half the budget we have proposed for the 2026 Games.

We have also benchmarked the cost for world championship events of the different sports being considered on the sport programme, and the vast majority deliver their flagship event for less than £5 million each. Those examples provide further assurance that we can deliver events of a similar scale and quality given the budget proposed.

Key differences compared to previous editions of the Commonwealth Games include:

Outsourced model of delivery results in a lean organising committee and minimal centralised costs
Resized sport programme of 10 sports and reduced number of athletes
Compact venue footprint and no new facilities required
Revised delivery models for operational areas aligned to size and scale of the event
Spectators of circa 500,000 vs over 1 million
Minimal temporary overlay
Efficiencies in additional activities (Ceremonies, Baton Relay and live sites)
No Games host fee

Governance

Who will organise the Games?
The 2026 Commonwealth Games is delivered by the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company, in partnership with the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Scotland. Glasgow 2026 Ltd is the corporate vehicle established to deliver the Games.

It is a company limited by guarantee, with Commonwealth Games Scotland as the sole member.

Who is the Chairperson?
Former Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council George Black was announced as the new Chair of Glasgow 2026 Organising Company in October 2024. Check out the full story HERE

Who else is involved?
The Organising Company is currently being driven by a small group of industry experts. We are currently recruiting for a host of senior executive roles and further opportunities will arise in the build-up to the Games.

We are also currently recruiting for Non-Executive Directors.

Details of the recruitment drive can be found HERE.

Brand

What will the Games logo be?
For the first time in the Games’ history, the logo combines the Commonwealth Sport logo with the overall visual identity of the 2026 Games – emphasising the central role of the Commonwealth Games within the wider Commonwealth Sport Movement.

Before Glasgow became the newest host, the CGF had already decided to make the integrated logo idea central to all future Games. 2026 is the inaugural year for this design concept which is set to become a Commonwealth Games tradition.

What is the inspiration for the logo?
The Glasgow 2026 logo features Glasgow graphic elements which are inspired by some of the engineering, architectural and natural elements found at the heart of Glasgow.

The three elements include representations of the River Clyde, the Finnieston Crane and the Clyde Arc, which are all centrally aligned in the Commonwealth Sport celebration mark in the colours of the waterfront - symbolising the meeting point for sport and culture at the heart of the Games.

Who designed the logo?
The logo and initial brand look and feel has been developed by Glasgow-based design agency Loop Design Limited.

Miscellaneous

Where will athletes stay?
Athletes will stay in hotel accommodation.

This is similar to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where athletes were spread across four sites and staying in a mixture of hotel and university accommodation.

The model was also used for last year’s UCI World Cycling Championships and the World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2024, both held in Glasgow.

Will there be an opening and closing ceremonies?
Yes – the current plan is to have both opening and closing ceremonies. We will be engaging with the creative sector to reimagine the ceremonies within the budget available.

Will there be a Games mascot?
Yes – the identity of our Games mascot will be revealed in due course.

Will there be volunteer opportunities?
Volunteers will be at the heart of the Glasgow 2026 Games. From friendly faces meeting and greeting on the front line to backstage heroes, volunteers will make the difference between a good and a great experience for those competing and attending.

Over 50,000 people from around the world applied to volunteer when the Commonwealth Games last came to the city for Glasgow 2014, and the 15,000 Clydesiders selected were a huge part of making it the 'best Games ever'.

For many Glasgow 2014 volunteers it was just the start - the friends and memories made and skills learned propelled them on to volunteer at events at home and around the world.

Details of the volunteer programme for Glasgow 2026 will be announced in due course.

When will tickets go on sale?
We anticipate around 500,000 tickets will be available for sale.

Details of ticketing arrangements will be announced in 2025.

Will there be a baton relay?
The CGF is currently designing plans for a refreshed King’s Baton Relay. Further information will be announced in due course.