2026 Commonwealth Games

The 2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games, is a planned multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations. The 2026 Commonwealth Games would be the first to be held during the reign of King Charles III.

The games are currently without a host. The Australian state of Victoria was initially announced as the host in April 2022, after two months of an exclusive dialogue process with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). However, on 18 July 2023 the Victorian state government announced it had cancelled its plans to host the games, citing an escalation in its cost projections relative to initial estimations. The city of Gold Coast offered to co-host the games with Victoria, but later withdrew their offer for the same reason. If no replacement is found, there is a possibility that the games may be postponed to 2027 or cancelled.

If cancellation occurs, it would be the first time that the Commonwealth Games had been cancelled since the 1942 and 1946 games were cancelled due to World War II.

First selection
During the CGF General Assembly on 31 March 2017 in Gold Coast, after the troubled 2022 Commonwealth Games host city bid process, the executive board announced that it had planned to award both 2026 and 2030 Commonwealth Games simultaneously at the CGF General Assembly scheduled for Kigali, Rwanda in September 2019. A new model called CGF Partnerships (CGFP) was implemented which aimed to give stronger support to the associations and cities that show interests in hosting future Games, and enhance the overall value of the event. This is similar to the process used by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2017.

In 2015 the South African city of Durban originally won the rights to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but was stripped of this right in 2017 due to financial concerns. As a result, Birmingham moved up its planned Games from 2026 to 2022. This left the 2026 Games without a host and bids from Kuala Lumpur, Cardiff, Calgary, Edmonton and Adelaide were all withdrawn due to concerns over costs, with a hosting decision not made by the Commonwealth Games Federation between 2019 and 2022.

In January 2022 the Victorian State Government announced it was giving serious consideration to a late request from the CGF to host the Games. On 16 February 2022, Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews confirmed that the state was in exclusive negotiations with the CGF to host the Games. It was stated that if successful in hosting the Games a second time, a Victorian bid would aim to emphasise the state's regional centres—such as Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo—as opposed to being predominantly Melbourne-based, such as in 2006. Bendigo had previously hosted the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games. Acceptance of the bid would likely also be conditional upon agreement on ways to control costs, such as housing athletes and officials in hotels rather than a dedicated village. This bid was confirmed as successful on 12 April 2022.

On 18 July 2023, Andrews and Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan announced the state government intended to cancel the 2026 Victorian Games. Fifteen months after agreeing to host the Games, the Premier said the cost had escalated to an estimated A$6–7 billion, double the estimated economic benefits for the state, and the government could not justify the expense. The state said it would terminate its host agreement with the Commonwealth Games Federation and seek a settlement of the contract. The withdrawal prompted a new search for a host for the 2026 Games.

Second selection
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan subsequently said he was "ready" to support the London bid to replace Victoria as the host. Former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has also stated that he is "willing to consider proposals" for Scotland to host at least some of the events at the Games.

On 4 December 2023, the Gold Coast ruled itself out of hosting the games. On the same day, the British government confirmed that there would be "no UK rescue" for the games and that they would not be hosted in the United Kingdom, citing that there is no financial appetite or any preliminary planning in place to allow another British city to intervene again after Birmingham 2022.

Malaysia
On 11 March 2024, the Olympic Council of Malaysia announced that the CGF offered Malaysia around £100 million for the country to take on the responsibility of hosting the event on a smaller scale than originally planned, and that talks were ongoing. On 22 March 2024, the Cabinet of Malaysia declined the invitation, citing that the £100 million offer would not be enough to cover the cost for the games. Additionally, the Federal Government of Malaysia would not want to use taxpayers money to fund the games, as well as the potential of these games, if delayed to 2027, to clash with the 2027 SEA Games, which are also scheduled to be held in Malaysia.

Singapore
On 14 March 2024, Commonwealth Games Singapore (CGS), the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced that they were assessing the feasibility of hosting the games after it was invited by the CGF to do so. A joint hosting with Malaysia was also considered to reduce costs. Subsequently, on 3 April 2024, CGS and SportSG announced that they would not make any bid to host the games.

Ghana
On 8 April 2024, the Commonwealth Games Federation announced that a new host for the 2026 Games was likely to be announced the following month, and the next day, the Ghana Minister for Youth and Sports Mustapha Ussif confirmed the country's interest in hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games after the capital, Accra, successfully hosted the 2023 African Games in March 2024.

Scotland
On 11 April 2024, it was announced that Glasgow was being considered as a "last possibility" to host the 2026 Games in the event, if no other host was forthcoming, in an alternative to safeguard the Games. It was reported that the Games would be in a smaller scale and could reuse venues from the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Accommodation for the athletes would comprise of hotels, and possibly a combination of Glasgow Caledonian University and University of Glasgow residences. Furthermore, the costs of the Games would be covered fully by the Commonwealth Games Federation and other corporate sponsors. Discussions were ongoing between Commonwealth Games Scotland, the Scottish Government, and EventScotland with a confirmed bid expected by the end of the month.

Broadcasting

 * 🇳🇿 New Zealand – Sky Open, Sky Television