Commonwealth Games 2026 highlights: How to watch every day for FREE

ALL 18 iterations of the Commonwealth Games since 1954 have been available to watch free of charge on the BBC But the 2026 event will be shown on TNT Sports, meaning a subscription is required to witness all the action. The 2026 iteration of the Commonwealth Games will be shown on TNT Sports Credit: Getty It’s the first time since 1954 that the Games haven’t been available to watch for free Credit: PA Thankfully, there will still be a free highlights programme, which requires no payment to watch. But where can it be found? Where can I find 2026 Commonwealth Games highlights? Scotland plays host to the 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games, which gets underway on Thursday, July 23. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! It will be the fourth time the country has welcomed the Games, having previously held the event in 1970, 1986 and 2014. This year, around 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories are set to compete. Ten sports and six para sports will feature, with all the following events available to stream live on TNT Sports across its TV channels and streaming platform HBO Max: 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball Artistic Gymnastics Athletics and Para Athletics (Track & Field) Bowls and Para Bowls Boxing Judo Netball Swimming and Para Swimming Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting Jeanette Kwakye will present daily Commonwealth Games highlights on Channel 5 Credit: Getty Channel 5 will also show the opening ceremony live – which will see KT Tunstall headline Credit: PA For those who don’t have a TNT subscription, Channel 5 will be showing a daily highlights programme throughout the Games, free of charge. Presented by former Olympic sprinter Jeanette Kwakye, the show will be broadcast every evening following the conclusion of the day’s main events. Most read in Athletics Broadcast times vary depending on the day’s events, but the programme will usually begin around 10pm – 10.30pm. It will run for an hour each night. Channel 5 will also show the opening ceremony from Glasgow’s OVO Hydro live on Thursday, July 23 from 8pm, both on TV and via 5 Streaming. What is the Commonwealth Games 2026 competition schedule? The confirmed daily action is as follows: Thursday, July 23 – Bowls and Para Bowls begin as part of the official competition schedule, with an opening session from 9.30am to 4.25pm, followed by the opening ceremony. Friday, July 24 – 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball begin; Artistic Gymnastics begins; Swimming and Para Swimming begin; Bowls and Para Bowls continue; Boxing begins; Para Powerlifting takes place in full, with all four finals decided across two sessions on the same day. Saturday, July 25 – Continuing competition in 3×3 basketball, gymnastics, swimming, bowls and boxing; Netball begins, with hosts Scotland facing New Zealand in the opening match at 9am. Sunday, July 26 – Weightlifting begins. Monday, July 27 – Athletics and Para Athletics begin. Tuesday, July 28 – Artistic Gymnastics concludes. Wednesday, July 29 – 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball conclude; Swimming and Para Swimming conclude. Thursday, July 30 – Weightlifting concludes; Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling begin. Friday, July 31 – Judo begins. Saturday, August 1 – Athletics and Para Athletics conclude; Boxing concludes, with all 14 weight category finals and medal ceremonies held on the day; the single busiest day of the Games, with 44 gold medals decided, including 19 athletics finals. Sunday, August 2 – Bowls and Para Bowls conclude, Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling conclude, Judo concludes, Netball’s gold medal match takes place, followed by the closing ceremony. Netball runs across nine days, from July 25 to August 2, with 12 nations competing across two pools before the medal matches. Overall, there are 215 medal events that will be contested across the 10 sports, with the Games concluding on Sunday, August 2. Comment now