Commonwealth Games 2026 opening ceremony: What time is event on TODAY and how to watch on terrestrial TV

SCOTLAND is ready to party as the 2026 Commonwealth Games officially kick off in Glasgow TODAY. More than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories have descended on the host city for 10 action-packed days of elite competition. Taking place at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, this year’s spectacle will be the first in Games history to take place entirely within an indoor arena Credit: Getty UK viewers can watch the entire opening ceremony live on free-to-air terrestrial TV Credit: PA But before the battle for 215 gold medals gets underway, all eyes turn to tonight’s grand curtain-raiser. How to watch the opening ceremony on free TV If you want to tune in without paying for a subscription, you’re in luck. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! UK viewers can watch the entire opening ceremony live on free-to-air terrestrial TV via Channel 5. For those who prefer to stream online via laptops, smartphones, or smart TVs, the ceremony will be streamed live on the free 5 Streaming app. If you’re a TNT Sports subscriber, the event will simultaneously broadcast on TNT Sports 2 and stream via HBO Max. What time is it on? The opening ceremony takes place TODAY (Thursday, July 23), with live coverage beginning at 8pm on Channel 5 and TNT Sports. The ceremony is scheduled to run for roughly two to two-and-a-half hours, wrapping up between 10.00pm and 10.30pm. This year’s spectacle is making sporting history before a single medal is even won. Most read in Athletics Staged at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, the event will mark the first time in Commonwealth Games history that an opening ceremony is taking place entirely inside an indoor arena. Organisers have promised a “Clyde-built experience for the world,” featuring a local cast of 600 Scottish performers. Scottish music royalty will headline, featuring KT Tunstall and Tom Walker, alongside Callum Beattie, Nina Nesbitt, Nathan Evans & Saint PHNX, and electronic folk duo Valtos. Athletes from all 74 member nations will enter the arena carrying their individually designed King’s Batons. King Charles III and Queen Camilla will attend to officially open the Games, alongside a special appearance by cycling icon Sir Chris Hoy. Why is Channel 5 showing the opening ceremony? Channel 5 is broadcasting the opening ceremony, but it won’t be showing live events throughout the rest of the Games. For the first time since 1954, the BBC does not hold the main broadcast rights for the Commonwealth Games. TNT Sports holds the primary live rights to screen the action across its linear channels and the HBO Max streaming platform. But to ensure major moments remain accessible to the wider public without a paywall, Channel 5 struck a sub-licensing deal with the broadcaster. Under this partnership, it secured the free-to-air rights to broadcast the opening ceremony live, alongside a nightly highlights show presented by former Olympic sprinter Jeanette Kwakye for the duration of the Games. Comment now