Dates for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth games confirmed by council

Glasgow’s scaled back Commonwealth Games will be held between 23 July and 2 August, it has been revealed.

Dates for the 11-day event were confirmed in a report to Glasgow City Council.

The Scottish government backed plans for the city to step in and host the games after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out due to rising costs.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will begin exactly 12 years after those held in Glasgow in 2014.

The event, which will be much smaller than previous games, will see 10 sports take place across four venues in the city.

The report also confirms that the four venues used during the event will be the Emirates Arena, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, the Scottish Events Campus and Scotstoun stadium.

There will be no road-based events, such as a cycling road race or time trials, according to the report.

There will be no new athletes’ village built for the Games, with competitors and officials staying in “existing accommodation across the city”.

The report adds, while the model remains in development, it is expected “a 10-sport programme, fully integrating para competitions” will include “athletics and swimming as mandatory sports”.

Athletics and swimming were made compulsory sports by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in 2021.

Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) and CGF are finalising the remaining sports to be announced.

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.

The report states: “The concept is based on a significantly reduced budget, timeline and scale of event, therefore the approach and experience will be different to previous Commonwealth Games.”

It adds Victoria agreed to make a compensatory payment of around £190m to the CGF and Commonwealth Games Australia — and there is a “commitment from CGF to meet the entire cost of the Games”.

It was previously confirmed that Commonwealth Games Australia had contributed £2.3m to “enhance the event”.

A Glasgow 2026 programme board has been set up, chaired by the council’s chief executive, to oversee the city’s role in the Games.

It will monitor the “progress of delivery of the city’s operations and functions within the agreed budgets, ensuring a legacy for Glasgow”.

Councillors were asked on Thursday to grant permission for the chief executive and the council’s finance director to “negotiate and conclude all legal and financial agreements associated with the city’s role in hosting of the Games”.

Reporting by Drew Sandelands at the Local Democracy Reporting Service.