Commonwealth Games 2026: Complete Guide to Dates, Sports, Venues, India's Squad and More

The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games is set to begin on July 23, bringing together athletes from across the Commonwealth for 10 days of elite sporting competition in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Returning to the Scottish city for the first time since the memorable 2014 Games, the 2026 edition promises world-class competition despite being significantly smaller than previous editions.

The Games arrive after an unusual journey. Originally awarded to Victoria, Australia, the event was relocated after the Australian state government withdrew due to escalating costs. Glasgow stepped in as the replacement host in August 2024, opting for a streamlined and cost-effective model that relies almost entirely on existing infrastructure.

Here's everything you need to know before the action begins.

The Commonwealth Games will take place from July 23 to August 2, 2026. The event officially begins with the Opening Ceremony at Glasgow's OVO Hydro on July 23, while competition starts the following day with events including boxing, judo, bowls and para-bowls. The Games will conclude on August 2 after the final medal events in sports such as netball and track cycling.

One of the first medals of the Games will be awarded in para powerlifting, setting the tone for an action-packed 10-day sporting festival.

Only 10 sports features in Glasgow

Unlike Birmingham 2022, which featured a much larger sporting programme, Glasgow 2026 will include only 10 able-bodied sports alongside six para disciplines. The reduced schedule is part of a sustainability-focused approach designed to lower hosting costs while ensuring the Games continue.

The sports on the programme are:

• Athletics & Para Athletics

• Swimming & Para Swimming

• Artistic Gymnastics

• Track Cycling & Para Track Cycling

• Boxing

• Weightlifting & Para Powerlifting

• Judo

• Netball

• Bowls & Para Bowls

• 3x3 Basketball & 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball

Several of India's strongest medal-producing sports have been omitted, including badminton, wrestling, shooting, hockey and cricket, meaning the country's overall medal tally is expected to be lower than in previous editions.

Four Venues Will Host the Entire Games

One of the defining features of Glasgow 2026 is its compact layout. All competitions will take place across just four main venues, all located within an eight-mile radius.

Scotstoun Stadium will host athletics and para athletics, replacing Hampden Park, which staged the athletics programme in 2014. Tollcross International Swimming Centre will once again welcome swimming and para-swimming competitions after successfully hosting the sport during the previous Glasgow Games.

The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and adjoining Commonwealth Arena will stage track cycling, para track cycling and artistic gymnastics. Meanwhile, the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) will become the busiest venue of the Games, accommodating netball, boxing, judo, weightlifting, para powerlifting, bowls, para bowls, 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball across its various halls.

Because Scotstoun Stadium has a capacity of only around 11,000 spectators, athletics sessions are expected to be among the most sought-after tickets of the Games.

Ticket prices have been structured to remain accessible while reflecting demand for premium events. General non-medal sessions start from £17 (approximately ₹2,200), while medal sessions begin at £26 (around ₹3,400). High-demand sports such as athletics and track cycling command significantly higher prices, with premium tickets reaching three-figure amounts.

All tickets will be issued digitally and delivered shortly before the Games through email or digital wallets.

India will travel to Glasgow with a 125-member contingent, despite the reduced sports programme. The team features several Olympic and World Championship medallists, including Neeraj Chopra, who will headline India's athletics challenge. Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will lead the weightlifting squad, while world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain spearheads India's boxing campaign.

India finished fourth at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with 61 medals, including 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze. Although matching that tally will be difficult due to fewer medal events, expectations remain high in athletics, boxing, weightlifting and swimming.

A total of 74 Commonwealth nations and territories will participate in Glasgow 2026. The Games welcome Gabon and Togo as debutants, increasing the number of participating nations from 72 in Birmingham to 74. Most countries will send smaller delegations than usual because of the reduced sports programme.

Every Commonwealth Games introduces a unique mascot, and Glasgow 2026 has unveiled Finnie, a unicorn featuring Glasgow's iconic traffic cone as its horn. Created with the help of local schoolchildren, Finnie represents the city's creativity, humour and community spirit. The mascot succeeds Clyde, the popular thistle character from Glasgow 2014, who now serves exclusively as Team Scotland's mascot.

https://www.indiasportshub.com/articles/commonwealth-games-2026-india-sends-125-athletes-across-13-sports-for-glasgow-campaign

The Glasgow 2026 medals feature an innovative Reuleaux triangle design, inspired by the city's industrial history and engineering heritage. Designed by award-winning artist Militsa Milenkova, the medals also make Commonwealth Games history by incorporating Braille and tactile elements, making them more inclusive and accessible than ever before.

Where to Watch the Games

Fans across the world will have multiple viewing options.

International coverage will be provided by TNT Sports, HBO Max, Channel 5 and the Commonwealth Sport YouTube channel.

In India, the Commonwealth Games will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network, while digital streaming will be available through Sony LIV, allowing fans to follow India's campaign across every medal event.

With world-class athletes, a compact city-centre format and several iconic venues, Glasgow 2026 promises to deliver an exciting edition of the Commonwealth Games. Although smaller in scale than previous editions, the competition will showcase elite performances across 10 sports while serving as an important bridge to the full-scale 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, where India will become the next host nation.

India's 125-Member Commonwealth Games 2026 Contingent

3x3 Wheelchair Basketball (Women): 

Reena Rameshchandra Gupta, Irengbam Ritu Chanu, Jadhav Minakshi Harichandra, Rayannavar Laxmi Rayappa

Artistic Gymnastics (8)
Men: Tapan Mohanty, Tapeshwarnath Das, Swatish KP, Satyajit Mondal

Women: Pranati Nayak, Nishka Agarwal, Eshita Rewale, Protistha Samanta

Athletics (32)
Men: Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Vishal TK, Rajesh Ramesh, Gulveer Singh, Tejas Shirse, Yashas Palaksha, Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan, Dev Meena, Kuldeep Kumar, Sarvesh Anil Kushare, Aadarsh Ram J, Tejaswin Shankar, Murali Sreeshankar, Lokesh Sathyanathan, Praveen Chithravel, Selva Prabhu, Samardeep Singh Gill, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav, Yash Vir Singh.

Women: Rashdeep Kaur, Neeru Pathak, Ansa Babu, Parul Chaudhary, Priyanka Goswami, Ravina Gaikwad, Pooja Singh, Manpreet Kaur, Seema Kaliramna, Nidhi Rani.

Para Athletics (11)
Rakeshbhai Bhatt, Shreyansh Trivedi, Mohammed Basil M, Dilip Mahadu Gavit, Ramesh Shanmugam, Devender Kumar, Sagar Thayat, Shubham Juyal, Soman Rana, Sharmila Dhankar, Shilpa K Shyla.

Lawn Bowls (6)
Putul Sonowal, Nayanmoni Saikia, Navneet Singh, Dinesh Kumar, Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki Singh.

Boxing (14)
Jadumani Singh, Sachin Siwach, Aditya Pratap Singh, Sumit Kundu, Ankush, Kapil Pokhariya, Narender Berwal, Sakshi Choudhary, Preeti Pawar, Jasmine Lamboria, Priya Ghanghas, Parveen Hooda, Arundhati Choudhary, Lovlina Borgohain.

Judo (14)
Harsh Singh, Rohit Basir Majgul, Arun Kumar, Harsh Tokas, Karanjit Singh Maan, Avtar Singh, Yash Ghanghas, Asmita Dey, Shraddha Kadabul Chopade, Yamini Mourya, Unnati Sharma, Inunganbi Takhellambam, Ishroop Narang, Tulika Maan.

Para Powerlifting (7)
Ashok Kumar Malik, Parmjeet Kumar, Sudhir, Jhandu Kumar, Suman Devi, Jaspreet Kaur, Kasthuri Rajamani.

Swimming (5)
Srihari Nataraj, Aryan Nehra, Sajan Prakash, Aneesh S Gowda, Dhakshan Shashikumar.

Para Swimming (5)
Ravi Veera Venkata Budigina, Ali Imam, Suyash Narayan Jadhav, Chaitanya Vishwas Kulkarni, Swatik Patil.

Track Cycling (6)
Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, Jemsh Singh Keithellakram, Dinesh Kumar, Rojit Singh Yanglem, Sekhon Harshveer Singh.

Para Track Cycling (1)
Lisha Das.

Weightlifting (12)
Men: Rishikanta Singh, M Raja, Ajaya Babu, Dilbag Singh, Lovepreet Singh.

Women: Mirabai Chanu, Gyaneshwari Yadav, Bindyarani Devi, Harjinder Kaur, Sanjana, Seram Nirupama Devi, Martina Devi.