The 10 sports being showcased at Glasgow 2026 are set to thrill fans with top global talent, including multiple Olympic and Paralympic champions, as well as reigning Commonwealth gold medallists, competing across the 11-day festival of sport.

Australia topped the Birmingham 2022 medal table with 179 medals, including 67 golds. Team England was just three behind on 176. Team Scotland won 51 medals with 13 golds. They and other powerhouses Canada, India and New Zealand are all likely to contend for major honours again.

ATHLETICS AND PARA ATHLETICS

Spearheading the Scottish challenge is Kerr, who ran a stunning 3 mins 42.66 world One Mile record at the Diamond League in London on Saturday. Jake Wightman, Neil Gourley and Jemma Reekie, also run as the historic “Commonwealth Mile” returns. Defending champions Eilish McColgan and Laura Muir as well as Paralympic gold medallists Ben Sandilands and Owen Miller further strengthen the host nation’s hopes of success.

England’s Georgia Hunter-Bell (800m) and Zharnel Hughes (200m) are set to star, while Jamaican speedster Shericka Jackson is in the Relay mix. The Men’s 4x100m will feature Canada’s Olympic gold medal-winning quartet, headlined by their most decorated male Olympian of all-time Andre De Grasse.

The Canadian line-up is further boosted by the selection of Olympic champion Decathlete Damian Warner and Paris 2024 Hammer gold medallists Camryn Rogers as well as Ethan Katzberg.

Fast times are expected on the newly laid track at EDF Scotstoun Stadium, in a venue that will bring spectators up close to the speed and power.

There’ll be fireworks in the Men’s 100m where London Diamond League winner Kayinsola Ajayi features after running a national record equalling 9.84s. Among his rivals will be Kenya’s defending champion Ferdinand Omanyala.

In the Women’s 100m Jamaican’s Jonelle Smith (Personal Best, 10.89 secs) and Jodean Williams (PB, 10.97) as well as England’s Daryll Neita (PB, 10.90) and Amy Hunt (PB, 10.97) are among the contenders.

Australia is sending a formidable team of 86 athletes across all disciplines. Matt Denny, reigning Discus champion, 1500m superstar Jessica Hull and High Jump duo Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers are clear ones-to-watch alongside wheelchair racer Angela Ballard, who is set to make history as the first Para athlete to compete at five Commonwealth Games.

Kenya’s 52 strong Athletics team includes world champions Lilian Odira, Faith Cherotich and Timothy Cheruiyot.

The Men's Javelin pits Indian superstar Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and Paris 2024 silver medallist against Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, the reigning Olympic champion and defending Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

For New Zealand, Hamish Kerr is the reigning world, Commonwealth and Olympic High Jump champion. Geordie Beamish is the reigning Steeplechase world champion. Anna Grimaldi, a three-time Paralympic champion (across Long Jump and 200m), will contest the T47 100m.

TRACK CYCLING AND PARA TRACK CYCLING

Olympic gold medallists will take the start line in the Track Cycling at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Team England’s Matthew Richardson, the first rider to go under 9 seconds for the flying 200m Time Trial, is down to ride the Sprint and Team Sprint, having switched allegiance from Australia after Paris 2024. He was born in Kent but grew up from the age of nine in Oz.

Welsh legend Emma Finucane is a world, European and Olympic champion, who at Paris 2024 became the first British woman to win three medals at a single Games since 1964. She will be looking for an upgrade on two third-place finishes at Birmingham 2022 in a world-class women’s sprint field which includes New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews and England’s Sophie Capewell.

Team Scotland’s five-time Commonwealth gold medallist Neil Fachie rides both Men’s Tandem events in what he has confirmed will be the last races of his career. Kadeena Cox is one of Great Britain’s highest-profile Para athletes, having won titles in both Athletics and Para Track Cycling at Rio 2016. She will seek a maiden Commonwealth honour, in the latter, with Team England at Glasgow 2026.

NETBALL

Netball fans have the chance to see an array of the world's best players with the top shooters and defences on show during a host of huge match-ups.

Scotland’s encounters will undoubtedly spark the noisiest and most passionate atmosphere of the Games, especially when they take on world number two side New Zealand in their opening game.

An electric atmosphere at the Hydro is guaranteed throughout the elite tournament, which will take place between 25 July and 2 August. Winners of the last two Commonwealth Games titles Australia (2022) and England (2018) face off in what will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the pool phase and Birmingham 2022 medal-winners New Zealand and Jamaica are set for repeat of their epic semi-final from four years ago.

Shooters Grace Nweke (New Zealand), Mary Cholhok (Uganda) and Kiera Austin (Australia) are among the biggest scoring threats in world Netball. Other star names and Netball legends competing include Funmi Fadoju (England), Shanice Beckford (Jamaica), Cerys Finn (Scotland), Leah Middleton (Wales) and Niamh Cooper (Northern Ireland).

SWIMMING AND PARA SWIMMING

The pool is set to be stacked with talent. Treble Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Adam Ramsay-Peaty goes in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke events.

South African icon Chad Le Clos needs one medal to become the outright most decorated male athlete in Commonwealth Games history. He currently has 18.

The Aussies look to dominate with their Olympic-champion Swimming cohort of Mollie O’Callaghan, Cameron McEvoy, Zac Stubblety-Cook, Kyle Chalmers and Lani Pallister.

Matt Richards, James Guy, Tom Dean, Jack McMillan and Duncan Scott have won freestyle relay medals together for Great Britain but now line up as rivals in their home nation colours. “We’ve got England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, so it’s kind of a battle of the Brits, but you have got to chuck the Aussies in there as well. It’s a pretty stacked field,” said the Welshman Richards. Guy and Dean race for England, McMillan Northern Ireland and Scott is the host nation’s hero. 

Another one-to-watch is teenage breaststroker Filip Nowaki, a world and European Junior champion, who is looking to become Jersey's first Commonwealth Games medallist since Auckland 1990.

World, European, Commonwealth and Paralympic medallist Alice Tai is likely to be one of England’s leading Para Swimming medal contenders, along with fellow Paris 2024 gold medallists Poppy Maskill and William Ellard. Uganda’s team captain Husnah Kukundakwe is aiming to become her nation’s first-ever Para Swimming medallist at a Commonwealth Games.

PARA POWERLIFTING AND WEIGHTLIFTING

Team England’s Olivia Broome, a double Paralympic bronze medallist, is looking to go one better than her silver medal at Birmingham 2022 in the Women’s Lightweight, and team-mate Mark Swan is a Paris 2024 silver medallist, current European Champion and can bench press 220kg.

Malaysia’s two-time Paralympic champion, Bonnie Bunyau Gustin is back to defend his title in the Men’s Lightweight and keep an eye out for his older brother Bryan Junency Gustin who will contest the Men’s Lightweight final. 

Team Nigeria’s Women’s Heavyweight reigning champion Folashade Oluwafemiayo is looking for another gold after her world record four years ago. Nigeria topped the medal table last time out with four, including gold and two silvers.

In Weightlifting, Team Scotland has named newly crowned British champion Madeline Rosher, a rising superstar of the sport, alongside Alex Mackay, Angus Doig and Drew Burns. Former international Scottish gymnast turned weightlifter Beth Ashbee competes in her first Games.

England’s Emily Campbell is the most successful British female weightlifter of all-time and a Birmingham 2022 champion. Emily is set to return to the stage to not only retain her title but cement her status as a leading Super Heavyweight and is hungry to set new Commonwealth records.

Rising superstar and Samoan golden girl, teenager Seine Stowers (77kg) is a junior Commonwealth champion and ready to raise the roof with potential world record attempts. Australia also sees the return of their reigning Commonwealth champion Eileen Cikamatana, who won gold for Fiji at Gold Coast 2018. 

Canada can boast Olympic champion, Birmingham 2022 title winner and world silver medallist Maude Charron, as well as rising star Etta May Love, among its ranks. David Liti, of New Zealand, is looking to become the first New Zealand weightlifter to win medals at three successive Commonwealth Games.

ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS

Leading the mega-stars of Artistic Gymnastics is Cyprus legend Marios Georgiou, who is a European All-Around champion, a seven-time Commonwealth medallist (including gold on the Floor and Parallel Bars in 2018) and a three-time Olympian.

Northern Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan is the reigning European, world, Commonwealth and Olympic champion on the Pommel Horse. He made history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by winning the gold medal in the Men's Pommel Horse final, securing Ireland's first-ever Olympic Gymnastics medal.

One of his biggest rivals is likely to Scotland’s Reuben Ward who aims to "thrill” the home crowd in what could be a breakout event for the British champion.

Canada’s Ellie Black is a four-time Olympic Artistic Gymnast and the most decorated female gymnast in Canadian history. She debuted a unique release move on the Uneven Bars in 2022 (a piked clear-hip Tkatchev with a ½ turn), which is now officially named "The Black" in the Gymnastics Code of Points.

Georgia Godwin of Australia has won eight Commonwealth Games medals including two golds at Birmingham 2022. She has an original Uneven Bars skill officially named after her - The Godwin – in the International Gymnastics Federation (World Gymnastics) Code of Points.

At just 17, Ruby Evans was the youngest Welsh athlete selected for Team GB. She was the first female Welsh artistic gymnast to compete at an Olympic Games in 28 years (since 1996), helping the British team secure a 4th-place finish. She was named the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Athlete of the Year at the British Gymnastics Awards in March 2026.

BOWLS AND PARA BOWLS

Multiple world champions will compete in the exciting new Bowls and Para Bowls format, which will feature four rinks, live music, DJs and a 'party' atmosphere.

Scotland’s seven-time medallist Alex ‘Tattie’ Marshall will join forces with Paul Foster, who is heading to his sixth Games with six medals in hand, in the Men’s Pairs. Team England’s Nick Brett who has seven world indoor titles, is partnered with former world Indoor Singles champion Jamie Walker.

Aussie Aaron Wilson has won the Commonwealth Games Singles gold medal in the previous two events and is nicknamed “Disco”, while Ryan Bester of Canada is the current World Singles champion with five Commonwealth Games medals to his name, but is yet to claim a gold.

Female bowling elites include Ellen Fife from Australia defending her title in the Women’s Singles. A win in this event will see Ellen tie for the greatest number of golds at a Commonwealth Games by a female bowler.

Katherine Rednall of England is a six times indoor world champion and widely regarded as the best Indoor Singles player in the World. Alison Merrien is looking to claim Guernsey’s first gold in Bowls. Norfolk Islander Shae Wilson is the current holder of the World Bowls Champion of Champions title.

Leading the charge for Scotland in Para Bowls is Birmingham 2022 gold medallist Pauline Wilson, who is partnered with Mary Wilson in the Para Women’s Pairs. Other Para Bowlers to watch are England’s Kieran Rollings and James Reynolds. Scotland’s breakout star is Sophie McGrouther who won the World Bowls Indoor Singles title in Aberdeen in 2025.

JUDO

Scottish legend Sarah Adlington became the first-ever judoka to become a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist at Birmingham 2022, following her victory back at Glasgow 2014. She is targeting a third at her final Games.

Emma Reid is England’s reigning 78kg Commonwealth champion and a world bronze medallist, while countryman Jamal Petgrave is the dominant force in the Men’s 90kg. Australia’s Aoife Coughlan is another defending a title, at 70kg.

3X3 BASKETBALL AND 3X3 WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL

3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball made stunning sporting debuts at Birmingham 2022 where Canada claimed two of the titles and England and Australia the others.

The men’s defending champions, England, feature the returning gold medallist Jamell Anderson, with their women’s team also retaining talent from the last Commonwealth Games in the form of Shanice Beckford-Norton and Cheridine Green who won silver.

In the 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball, Kathleen Dandeneau and Elodie Tessier are both back for a second Commonwealth Games after helping Canada to victory four years ago. Robyn Love is Scotland’s leading light in the Women’s 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball competition.

Finlay Erskine is the stand-out name in Scotland’s men’s line-up in a competition which sees defending champions Australia led by Tom O’Neill-Thorne.

BOXING

Triple world champion boxer Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) of India goes for her first Commonwealth Games podium after winning Olympic bronze and global titles. “That is one medal missing from my cabinet. Without doubt, the Commonwealth Games will be my biggest target this year,” Borgohain said. Teammate and world gold medallist Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) also fights.

World Championship medallists Emma-Sue Greentree and Lekeisha Pergoliti will spearhead the Aussie challenge after claiming their maiden landmark global honours in Liverpool last year, contesting the Women’s 75kg and 70kg divisions respectively. Chantelle Reid of England is a contender after world bronze in the 70kg. 

Michaela Walsh was a gold medallist for Northern Ireland in 2022 and like fellow defending champion Sophie Eccles of Wales, she has already announced Glasgow 2026 will mark her final Commonwealth Games appearance.

The final ticket drop is on sale now. Fans are encouraged not to miss out on the world class action and get their hands on their tickets today, available at glasgow2026.com/tickets.