Anyone comparing Glasgow 2026 to previous Commonwealth Games will notice one thing immediately: it was considerably smaller in scope, and there’s a specific reason why.
An emergency replacement host
The 2026 Games were originally awarded to the Australian state of Victoria, which withdrew in 2023 citing rising costs. Glasgow stepped in as a late replacement, agreeing to stage a scaled-down version of the event. That meant Britain hosted back-to-back editions of the Commonwealth Games, following Birmingham in 2022.
A smaller sports programme
Glasgow 2026 featured just ten sports and 215 medal events, compared with 20 sports at Birmingham 2022. Notably absent were several sports in which India has traditionally excelled – wrestling, badminton, table tennis, hockey and shooting – which directly affected India’s overall medal tally, down from 61 medals in Birmingham to 39 in Glasgow.
Fewer nations, similar spirit
Despite the reduced programme, 74 nations and territories still sent roughly 3,000 athletes to compete for 645 medals – a reminder that the core of the Commonwealth Games movement remained intact even in a leaner format. The Games also set a record for para-sport inclusion, awarding 141 para-sport medals, the most at any single edition.
What comes next
The next edition, in Ahmedabad in 2030, is expected to restore several of the missing sports as part of a wider 15-to-17 sport programme, which should allow India in particular to challenge for a tally closer to its record 101-medal haul from New Delhi 2010 rather than its reduced Glasgow total.
For a full look at how the final medal table shook out under this new format, and how it compares with the history of the Games more broadly, our related coverage digs deeper into both. Whether the Commonwealth Games settles into this leaner format permanently, or bounces back to a fuller programme in 2030, will say a lot about the event’s future direction.