A total of 74 teams are expected to take part in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow over the next two weeks, with events including athletics, boxing and swimming. Read on to find out why we almost had no Commonwealth Games at all this year, which is the most successful country and our usual betting tip.
Here are some details to start with:
- Start: Thursday, July 23
- Venue: Opening Ceremony at the Hydro; events held at sporting venues around Glasgow.
- Live Coverage: BBC
Best Bet: Back Akani Simbine to Win Men’s 100m Gold @ 4.5.
Ferdinand Omayal of Kenya is the early favourite here, and many will feel that's justified. He’s the African record holder after all and won gold in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, so he’s been there and done it before.
But at a higher price of 4.5, we can side with the man whose African record was taken away from him by Omanyala.
South African Akani Simbine last year became the first athlete in history to run a sub-10-second time for 1 1consecutive years, proof that age isn’t catching up with him yet and that he’s one of the most consistent sprinters outside the world’s elite. Speaking of which, remember there are no US athletes here to beat as they don’t take part in the Commonwealth Games.
Last year he took gold at the Rabat Diamond League in an extremely strong field and the year before he ran the anchor leg to help South Africa to an unprecedented silver medal in the 4x100m at the 2022 Olympic Games, so he’s enjoyed plenty of success, even now that he’s in his thirties. This could be extremely close, so we’re happy to go with the second-favourite here at a good-looking price.
Fun Fact About the Event
In different circumstances, we may not have had a 2026 Commonwealth Games at all. The Australian state of Victoria was meant to host the Games but backed out as the cost of organising it escalated.
There was a possibility that the Australian city of Gold Coast would take over hosting duties, but that possibility fell through for the same reason: the high costs.
So it was fortunate that in 2024, Scotland and more precisely Glasgow, offered to do so. 200 million Australian dollars went into the kitty from the Victorian Government after they withdrew, with the rest of the funding coming from commercial sources, meaning no public spending was needed.
However, that too came at a ‘cost’. The Games would be scaled down, meaning fewer events than usual and no athletes’ village.
Betting Summary
First things first: if you’re expecting all the events to be priced up way in advance with lots of betting markets and ‘specials’ to go with them the way you’d expect for, say, the FIFA World Cup or even the Olympics, you’re going to be a little disappointed.
Though the Commonwealth Games are a big deal and a fantastic opportunity to win a priceless medal that is harder to win than at the Olympics, it features only Commonwealth countries, so powerhouses like China and the USA don’t take part. It doesn’t quite attract the media attention and curiosity of fans the way other huge events do, and as a result, doesn’t have quite the same betting coverage.
So don’t expect every event to be priced up, but you should find betting markets at least across some of the biggest events like the men's and women’s 100 metres, the 4x100 relays, cycling, judo and gymnastics nearer the time.
The men’s 100 metres could well end up being the biggest betting event of the Games, and early odds have Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala as the 3.5 favourite to win it, followed by South African pair Akani Simbine at 4.5 and Bayanda Walaza at 6.0.
What Are the Commonwealth Games?
The Commonwealth Games can best be described as a sort of mini-Olympics, the reason they’re ‘mini’ being that only Commonwealth countries, former territories of the British Empire, participate.
The 2026 edition is expected to have athletes from 74 different teams. Historically, Australia has been the most successful nation with a total of 2596 medals, followed by England (2322), Canada (1647), New Zealand (7-7) and India (564). Australia also led the way just for gold medals, with 1001, with England next best with 773. But beyond the big nations, there are some much smaller ones with the likes of the Isle of Man, Tanzania, Norfolk Islands and Anguilla among those sending athletes to the games.
The Games last just under two weeks and are held at different venues within Glasgow. The other reason they’re a sort of mini-Olympics is that they have far fewer events than you would have in the latter, so the likes of football, tennis and golf are among the high-profile events that won’t take place across the next two weeks.
Instead, the likes of athletics, boxing, swimming and cycling are some of the flagship events.
