When is the Commonwealth games 2026? Start dates, where are they – and how to get tickets

THE Commonwealth Games are almost upon us, with Glasgow stepping up to save the event after the original host pulled out. Around 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories are set to take part, with plenty of British stars among the big names competing. The Commonwealth Games 2026 were originally awarded to Victoria, Australia, but the state pulled out over the cost of hosting Swimmer Adam Peaty is set to hunt down more gold medals at this year’s event Credit: AFP Where are the Commonwealth Games 2026 being held? Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games from July 23 to August 2, marking the second time the Scottish city has staged the event, following its successful run in 2014. The Games were originally awarded to Victoria, Australia, but the state pulled out in 2023 over the cost of hosting. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Malaysia was later approached, turning down the offer before Glasgow stepped in late in late 2024 to deliver a scaled-back version of the event. Action will be spread across four venues within a compact corridor of the city. These are the Scottish Event Campus, Scotstoun Stadium, the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and Arena, and Tollcross International Swimming Centre. The Games will feature a focused, 10 sport programme, including athletics, swimming, netball, boxing, judo, weightlifting, artistic gymnastics, bowls, track cycling, and 3×3 basketball. Six of those sports are integrating para sport events into the same schedule – the largest para sport programme in the history of the Games. How can I get tickets? Tickets are already on sale through the official Glasgow 2026 website, with a total of roughly 500,000 available across the 11 days. Most read in Athletics Glasgow residents with G postcodes who had registered by October 16, 2025, were given first access before sales opened to the rest of Scotland, the UK, and beyond. According to the official Glasgow 2026 ticketing site, adult tickets start from £17 for non-medal sessions and £26 for medal sessions, with concession prices available from as little as £12. There are also selected Bowls, Para Bowls, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting tickets available from £10. Anyone unable to attend can resell tickets through the official resale platform at face value. Organisers have warned that tickets bought or sold outside official channels risk being invalidated. How can I watch the Commonwealth Games 2026 on TV? For the first time since 1954, the BBC will not be broadcasting the Commonwealth Games. Live coverage has instead been secured by TNT Sports, following a new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, with all sports also available to stream via HBO Max. Free-to-air highlights will be shown on Channel 5, meaning fans without a subscription can still catch up on the action. Channel 5 chief content officer Ben Frow said: “The Commonwealth Games is one of the standout events in a fantastic summer of sport this year, and here at 5 we’re delighted to be working with TNT Sports to bring the biggest sports stars to a free-to-air audience in the UK.” Comment now