Untie your football boots and slide on your lycra, the 2026 Commonwealth Games are upon us.
Surprised? You’re not alone. Thanks to the Fifa World Cup and the fact that this will be the smallest Commonwealth Games in more than three decades, Glasgow 2026 has failed to spark much interest. But what are we if not a nation of frantic fair-weather fans? Here’s everything you need to know, just in time.
When is it?
The opening ceremony is Friday morning NZT, with events beginning that evening. New Zealand shares an unfortunate time difference with Scotland, so events will be broadcast live from approximately 8pm to 8am each day, with the closing ceremony on Monday, August 3.
Where is it?
Scotland’s Glasgow became the host only two years ago, after Victoria (Australia) pulled out of hosting due to rising costs. The games were hostless for a while until Glasgow stepped in, on the condition of a greatly downsized event.
What’s been culled?
Quite a lot. There will be only 10 sports this year, with diving, badminton, beach volleyball, cricket, hockey mountain biking, road cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, rugby sevens, table tennis, squash, triathlon and wrestling all axed.
How can I watch?
Sky is the exclusive broadcaster and will have up to nine channels playing live Commonwealth Games events at peak times, with Sky Sport 4 entirely dedicated to the games 24 hours a day. If you don’t have a Sky subscription, don’t worry: free-to-air channels Three and ThreeNow (which are now owned by Sky) are also going full games, broadcasting live events and highlights pretty much constantly, with just a break for the news at 6pm and a nightly (Commonwealth Games) edition of The Crowd Goes Wild at 7pm.
Handy: The full schedule of events where New Zealand is competing.
What should I wear while watching?
I have a lifelong disdain for New Zealand’s low-effort Olympics uniforms, but the 2026 Team New Zealand merch isn’t bad! Thanks to the Peak/NZOC partnership ending and with Kathmandu as the new apparel partner (announced last year as a four-year contract), there’s a solid collection of supporter gear available, from T-shirts to polar fleece, mugs to hoodies, and even a very in-fashion rugby polo. (Note: the rugby polo inexplicably has “Nuova Zelanda” on the back, which seems to be… Italian? Why?) It’s all inoffensive, reasonably priced and the Comm Games special ones have a little nostalgic throwback to the 1974 games logo when Christchurch hosted.
Why are there still Commonwealth Games?
An evergreen question. The very existence of the Commonwealth Games has been questioned for years. There are far fewer events than the Olympics, as well as a, frankly, random assortment of competing countries. Hosting is now viewed as a chore for participating countries, rather than a sought-after privilege. This year’s scaled back version was required to save money, and could arguably be considered a regional meet for most athletes. In fact, a number of Australian athletes – Australia dominates the games – have opted not to attend in favour of other world meets.
Oh and by the way, New Zealand is actively campaigning to host the 2034 Commonwealth Games.
Read more: Why New Zealand shouldn’t host another Commonwealth Games
But enough downbuzz, we’ve got 116 athletes to cheer for over the next two weeks. Here’s who to keep an eye on, sorted by code (nice and easy when there are only 10 sports).
Artistic gymnastics
Our seven-strong gymnastics team combines true veteran experience with two debutants. Misha Koudinov will be competing at his sixth Commonwealth Games, having first competed in Melbourne in 2006, aged just 14. He has the rare honour of having a skill named after him in the Code of Points. “The Koudinov” involves flipping forward over the horizontal bar, adding a full 360-degree twist and catching the bar again on the other side.
At the other end, 18-year-old Jun McDonald and Rangitoto College student Sienna Shields will be making their debut appearances.
New Zealand has only ever won four medals in artistic gymnastics – three bronze (the most recent of which was 2014) plus the iconic gold for 14-year-old Nikki Jenkins at the 1990 Auckland games.
Athletics and para athletics
If you’re keen to see some New Zealand medals being won, watch the athletics. New Zealand is in the middle of a track and field golden era (IMO), with never-before-seen range and depth. The qualifying standards for track and field athletes are shockingly high for the Commonwealth Games, meaning every athlete competing should be in medal contention, if not pushing for gold.
Hamish Kerr is the reigning world, Commonwealth and Olympic champion in the high jump. Geordie Beamish is the current world champion in the steeplechase. Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill will return to the shot put after finishing first and second respectively at the last Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. Olivia McTaggart and Imogen Ayris were second and third respectively in Birmingham in the pole vault, and they’ll be competing alongside 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney.
Tori Moorby (formerly Peeters) has the third furthest javelin throw in the Commonwealth this year, while Zoe Hobbs just earned a podium finish at the Diamond League in Oslo in the 100m.
Basketball and wheelchair basketball (3×3)
A new(er) sport to the Commonwealth Games, 3×3 basketball is effectively a professional pick-up game. One hoop, fast-paced, first team to 21 – it’s the perfect intro to basketball for anyone who thinks NBA games are too long and stop-start.
New Zealand is sending two teams but it’s the men’s team to watch, fresh off a gold medal at the Asia Cup, with Te Tuhi Lewis the standout performer.
Lawn bowls
With 14 athletes, the lawn bowls squad is one of New Zealand’s largest contingents heading to the games.
Katelin Inch and Selina Goddard will be looking to improve on their 2022 bronze medal in the women’s pairs, while two-time silver medallist Mark Noble will be aiming for gold in the Para B6-B8 Men’s Pair alongside Kurt Smith.
Boxing
New Zealand is sending a relatively inexperienced boxing squad to Glasgow, with five of the seven athletes competing at their first Commonwealth Games. What that means is there’s no predicting who will make their mark.
Cycling (track and para track)
The cyclists were the heroes of 2022, bringing home 10 of New Zealand’s 20 gold medals. This year’s 19-strong squad of track cyclists (road cycling was one of the culled events) sports five(!) Olympic medallists in Ally Wollaston, Bryony Botha, Ellesse Andrews, Emily Shearman and Rebecca Petch. The team have had strong performances at the velodrome in Glasgow before, with a record eight medals at the 2023 world champs there.
Nicole Murray, Devon Briggs and Emma Foy with pilot Jessie Hodges will compete in the para cycling, having earned nine medals between them at the para cycling track world champs last year.
Judo
These eight athletes know their judo well. Three (Kody Andrews, Sydnee Andrews, Moira Koster) medallists from Birmingham will return to the games, alongside a number of young debutants.
Netball
New Zealand Netball has had a rocky 18 months, with decorated head coach Noeline Taurua abruptly stood down for 51 days last year before being reinstated in October. Just last month, a number of Silver Ferns players criticised the sporting body for (again) failing to provide any certainty about the future of the domestic competition, the ANZ Premiership.
With all of that hovering, Taurua and her squad will have a lot to ignore as they head to Glasgow. The 2022 bronze medallists will be up against longtime rivals Australia, England and Jamaica for the gold.
Swimming and para swimming
Former world champion Erika Fairweather will be keeping busy this month, competing in four individual events as well as two relays. Meanwhile, three-times 2022 medallist and Commonwealth record holder Lewis Clareburt will compete across four events. In the para swimming, fellow 2022 gold medallist Josh Willmer will compete up a classification in the 100m breaststroke SB9 this year as his classification of SB8 is not on the programme.
Hazel Ouwehand is currently ranked in the top eight in the world in the 50m butterfly and will be expecting her first Commonwealth medal.
Weightlifting
And lastly, the heavy stuff. Two-time Commonwealth medallist David Liti will look to be the first New Zealand weightlifter to medal at three different Commonwealth Games. At the other end, teenaged debutant Litia Nacagilevu is one to watch. She placed second at the 2026 Oceania Championships, breaking the junior Commonwealth snatch record in the process.
Family matters
There are a few fun family connections in Team New Zealand. Olivia McTaggart will be competing in the pole vault while her brother Cameron competes in weightlifting. Colin Wheeler will be serving as director for the vision-impaired mixed pairs at the lawn bowls, one of whom is his son Kerrin. And on the netball court, twins Kate and Georgia Heffernan will compete together.
