No specific reason has been provided for the decision, but a number of disciplines have been removed from the 2026 edition
Commonwealth Games 2022 cricket champions Australia on the podium • Getty Images
There will be no cricket at the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG), to be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2. Only ten disciplines are part of the quadrennial event this time, and that has meant cricket, which returned to the CWG in 2022 in the form of a women’s T20 event after a men’s ODI event was part of the 1998 CWG in Kuala Lumpur, isn’t on the schedule.
Though no specific reason was provided for the scrapping of cricket – as well as other sports like field hockey, badminton, shooting and wrestling, among others – Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Katie Sadleir said in a statement, “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow – an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact – in doing so increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”
Budgets, it would appear, is one of the reasons for the trimmed-down version of the CWG in 2026. A contributing factor could be the fact that Glasgow is only hosting as Victoria withdrew belatedly as hosts, stepping in to host solely with existing venues and accommodation rather than building anything new, necessitating a reduced roster of sports.*
Cricket, which is set to make a comeback to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 after 128 years with men’s and women’s T20s, was a part of the CWG after a 24-year gap in Birmingham 2022. Australia won the gold in the women’s T20 competition, beating India in the final, and New Zealand won bronze. Back in 1998, South Africa had won the men’s 50-over gold, with Australia winning silver and New Zealand winning bronze.
The Asian Games has also brought cricket back, with the Hangzhou 2022 edition (held in 2023 following the Covid-19 pandemic). India won gold in both the men’s and women’s T20 events, with Afghanistan and Bangladesh winning silver and bronze respectively among the men, and Sri Lanka and Bangladesh finishing second and third among the women.
The Olympics had added T20 cricket – for men and women – as one of five new disciplines for Los Angeles 2028. The final decision was taken at an International Olympic Committee meeting in Mumbai in October last year.
“Some of you might be wondering why [cricket] in LA,” Niccolo Campriani, director of LA2028 local organising committee, had said at the time. “Well, the commitment to grow cricket in the US is real, and it’s already happening with the launch of the very first Major League Cricket season earlier this year, which exceeded all expectations. And the [men’s] T20 World Cup in 2024 coming to US and West Indies.”
*10.30am GMT, Oct 22: This story was updated with the possible reasons for the reduced roster of sports at CWG 2026
