CWG 2026: What’s changed, India’s biggest medal hopes and all you need to know

Eight years after last hosting the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow is set to welcome athletes from across the Commonwealth from July 23 to August 2. India heads to Scotland with a 125-member contingent, aiming to extend its remarkable run of top-five finishes despite a significantly reduced competition programme.

A smaller Games, a tougher challenge

The 2026 Commonwealth Games were originally awarded to Australia’s Victoria state, but the hosts withdrew in 2023 due to soaring costs. Glasgow stepped in as the replacement host, opting for a scaled-down edition with 10 sports and 215 medal events, down from 20 sports in Birmingham 2022.

The reduced programme has excluded several of India’s traditional medal-winning disciplines, including wrestling, badminton, hockey, table tennis, cricket and squash, making this one of the country’s toughest Commonwealth campaigns in recent years.

India’s squad

India’s contingent consists of 77 men and 48 women, including para athletes.

• Athletics: 32
• Boxing: 14
• Judo: 14
• Weightlifting: 12

The team will be led by Olympic medallists Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain.

Sports at CWG 2026

The Games will feature 10 sports:

• Athletics
• Swimming
• Artistic Gymnastics
• Track Cycling
• Netball
• Weightlifting
• Boxing
• Judo
• Bowls
• 3×3 Basketball

Para events will be held in athletics, swimming, track cycling, bowls, powerlifting and wheelchair 3×3 basketball.

Why India faces a tougher medal race

India won 61 medals at Birmingham 2022, but 30 of them came from sports that are no longer part of the programme:

• Wrestling – 12
• Table Tennis – 7
• Badminton – 6
• Hockey – 2
• Squash – 2
• Cricket – 1

With these medal-rich sports absent, India will rely heavily on athletics, boxing and weightlifting to maintain its streak of finishing inside the top five.

India’s biggest medal hopes

• Neeraj Chopra – Men’s javelin
• Mirabai Chanu – Women’s 49kg weightlifting
• Lovlina Borgohain – Women’s boxing
• Murali Sreeshankar – Long jump
• Sarvesh Kushare – High jump
• Parul Choudhary – 3000m steeplechase and 5000m
• Praveen Chithravel – Triple jump
• Men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams

Key dates for India

• July 23: Opening ceremony
• July 26: Mirabai Chanu – Women’s 49kg final
• July 27: Men’s High Jump final
• July 29: Long Jump final*, Women’s 3000m Steeplechase final
• July 30: Women’s 5000m final; Men’s Javelin qualification
• July 31: Men’s Javelin final*
• August 1–2: Boxing, Judo and Lawn Bowls medal events

(*Subject to qualification)

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony will take place on July 23 at OVO Hydro in Glasgow from around 10.30 pm IST.

• Mirabai Chanu will be India’s flag bearer.
• Lovlina Borgohain will carry the King’s Baton.
• Performers include KT Tunstall, Nathan Evans and Saint PHNX.

Where to watch in India

The Commonwealth Games 2026 will be live streamed on Sony LIV, while television coverage will be available on Sony Sports Ten 2 and Sony Sports Ten 2 HD.