The 2026 Commonwealth Games, to be played in Glasgow, will not feature cricket.
Has cricket ever been part of the Commonwealth Games?
Cricket was part of the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 1998, at Kuala Lumpur. The only event, men’s ODIs, was contested by 16 teams. Three teams from the West Indies – Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and Jamaica – were part of the Games; India split their national team and sent one of the sides to the Games; and Northern Ireland and Scotland were the only teams from the British Isles. South Africa, led by Shaun Pollock, won the gold medal, defeating Australia in the final. New Zealand beat Sri Lanka to clinch the bronze medal.
Cricket returned at Birmingham 2022 in the form of women’s T20Is, but with only eight teams. Barbados represented the West Indies. Australia, led by Meg Lanning, won the gold medal this time and India silver, while New Zealand picked up their second bronze medal at cricket.
Why will cricket not be a part of Glasgow 2026?
In 2024, Cricinfo had run a report that mentioned that cricket will not be part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The report mentioned budgetary constraint among the reasons. The limited finances might have to do with Victoria’s late withdrawal as hosts earlier that year.
Katie Sadler, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, had then noted that CWG 2026 "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."
As a result, nine events that were part of Birmingham 2022 were dropped from the Glasgow 2026 edition. Apart from cricket, the others are badminton, hockey, squash, table tennis, triathlon, wrestling, beach volleyball, and rugby sevens. The ten games at Glasgow 2026 will be athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, 3x3 basketball, lawns bowls, netball, artistic gymnastics, judo, and boxing.
Cricket fans, however, will have the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to look forward to. The Games will feature both women’s and men’s T20Is, marking a return of cricket to the Olympics after 128 years.
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