In which country will the 2026 Commonwealth Games be held?

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Victoria, Australia.

What are the Commonwealth Games?

The Commonwealth Games or the Friendly games is an international multi-sporting event that is held every four years among the athletes of the Commonwealth of nations which consists of 56 nations including India. 

These games have been held continually since 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. 

The Commonwealth Games have been referred to by various names in the past; British Empire Games (1930 to 1950), British Empire and Commonwealth Games (1954 to 1966), and British Commonwealth Games (1970 to 1974).

What makes these games truly remarkable is the fact that it is the first fully inclusive international sporting event. Since 2002, athletes with disabilities are considered full members of their national teams, and hence any medals that they win also contribute to their nation’s tally. These games also hold the distinction of being the first global sports event to have an equal number of men’s and women’s events.

In which country will CWG 2026 be held?

The 2026 Commonwealth Games (a.k.a. Victoria 2026) will take place in Australia across 4 regional sites in Victoria: Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, and Gippsland. 

Australia has previously hosted this event 5 times; 1938 Sydney, 1962 Perth, 1982 Brisbane, 2006 Melbourne, and 2018 Gold Coast.

This event is scheduled to be held between 17th and 29th March 2026, with the opening ceremonies taking place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

An initial list of 16 sports has been announced for CWG 2026 including:

1. T20 cricket
2. Swimming and diving
3. Athletics
4. Badminton
5. Boxing
6. Beach Volleyball
7. Cycling
8. Gymnastics
9. Hockey
10. Lawn Bowls
11. Netball
12. Rugby Sevens
13. Squash
14. Table Tennis
15. Triathlon 
16. Weightlifting

An additional 7 games could figure in this list by the end of 2022 when the final program is announced. 

In which country was CWG 2022 held?

The 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games was recently concluded in Birmingham, England. England has previously hosted this event 2 times; London 1934 and Manchester 2002.

The event took place over 11 days between 28th July and 8th August 2022, with the opening and closing ceremonies being held at Alexander stadium.

CWG 2022 saw a participation of 72 nations and ticket sales of 1.2 million. It was also the first event to hold more events for women than men!

India won a total of 61 medals; 22 golds, 16 silvers, and 23 bronze clinching the 4th position at the CWG 2022 games after Australia, England, and Canada.