The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games run from Thursday, July 23 to Sunday, August 2, 2026, bringing together athletes from 74 nations and territories. Follow the time remaining on our live Commonwealth Games countdown.
When are the Commonwealth Games 2026?
The Games open with a ceremony at the OVO Hydro on July 23, 2026 and close on August 2, 2026 — eleven days of competition. Glasgow stepped in to host after the original 2026 hosts withdrew, staging a streamlined edition built around venues clustered within an eight-mile corridor of the city.
A leaner, 10-sport edition
Glasgow 2026 features a focused programme of 10 sports, including six fully integrated para sports: athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para cycling, 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, and bowls and para bowls. The compact format keeps costs down while retaining the multi-sport spectacle the Games are known for.
Why it matters
Held every four years, the Commonwealth Games gather competitors from across the former British Commonwealth — one of the largest multi-sport events on the calendar. Glasgow, which hosted a celebrated edition in 2014, returns as host to keep the movement alive after a gap in confirmed venues, making the 2026 Games a pivotal moment for the event's future.
Count down to Glasgow 2026
Watch the days, hours and minutes on the live Commonwealth Games 2026 countdown. Looking for more summer sport? See our Tour de France and Asian Games countdowns, or build your own countdown to the events you care about.