Multi-sport
28 June 2026
· 5 min read
Commonwealth Games 2026: where to watch on UK TV
Glasgow is hosting a slimmed-down, home-grown Commonwealth Games from 23 July to 2 August — and for the first time since 1950, the BBC won't be showing a single second of it. Here's where to find the coverage.
The big change: no BBC
This is the storyline that's caught many people off guard. The BBC has covered every Commonwealth Games since 1950 — a 76-year unbroken run. That run ends this summer. TNT Sports outbid the BBC for the exclusive live rights to Glasgow 2026, meaning if you want to watch events as they happen, you'll need a subscription.
The good news for casual viewers is that Channel 5 has stepped in as the free-to-air partner, providing extensive daily highlights. So you won't miss the big moments — you just won't be watching them live on the BBC.
TNT Sports / HBO Max
Live coverage
Exclusive live rights across all 10 days of competition. Over 600 hours of live coverage planned, with every medal event broadcast live. Watchable via TNT Sports channels or the HBO Max streaming app. HBO Max Basic with Ads starts at £4.99/month — add-on deals also available through Sky, Virgin Media, BT, and EE.
Channel 5
Free-to-air highlights
Exclusive English-language free-to-air partner. Daily highlights packages covering the biggest moments from across the Games. Free with any TV licence — no subscription needed.
S4C
Live — Welsh language
Live Welsh-language coverage of Glasgow 2026, marking the first time S4C has delivered live coverage of the Commonwealth Games.
What's on the programme?
Glasgow 2026 is deliberately compact. Ten sports, four venues, all within an eight-mile corridor of the city. It's the smallest programme since 1994 — a consequence of stepping in at short notice after Australia's Victoria withdrew from hosting — but the events that are there are the ones that matter most.
AthleticsIncl. Para Athletics — from 27 July. The Commonwealth Mile returns on 1 August.
SwimmingIncl. Para Swimming — opening weekend highlight at Tollcross.
Track CyclingIncl. Para Track — Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Boxing14 weight categories across eight days of competition.
Artistic GymnasticsAll-around and apparatus finals from the opening weekend.
JudoSEC Armadillo venue.
3x3 BasketballIncl. Wheelchair Basketball — fast-paced half-court format.
NetballA Commonwealth Games staple.
WeightliftingIncl. Para Powerlifting.
BowlsIndoors for the first time in Games history.
Notable absentees: hockey, rugby sevens, and cricket — all dropped from the programme given the compressed format and available venues.
When to watch: sport by sport
The opening ceremony is at the OVO Hydro on Thursday 23 July — the first time in Games history it's been held indoors. Competition starts the very next day. Here's when each sport is live on TNT Sports:
Swimming & Para Swimming
24–28 July
Tollcross. Kicks off first weekend — expect Adam Peaty in the pool from 24 July. Evening finals sessions from 19:00 each day.
Artistic Gymnastics
24–28 July
The Arena. Team finals from day one; all-around finals on Sunday 26 July. Apparatus finals Mon–Tue.
3x3 Basketball
24–29 July
SEC. Group play across first five days; finals on Wednesday 29 July from 16:30.
Bowls & Para Bowls
24 Jul–2 Aug
SEC. Runs the full 10 days — indoors for the first time in Games history. Finals on closing day, 2 August.
Boxing
24 Jul–1 Aug
SEC. Eight days of competition across 14 weight categories. All finals on Saturday 1 August.
Weightlifting & Para Powerlifting
24 Jul–30 Jul
SEC Armadillo. Para Powerlifting opens on 24 July; Weightlifting runs 26–30 July, three sessions per day.
Netball
25 Jul–2 Aug
OVO Hydro. Group matches across the first week; semi-finals 1 August, gold medal match on closing day.
Athletics & Para Athletics
27 Jul–1 Aug
Scotstoun Stadium. Men's and women's 100m finals on Tuesday 28 July evening. The Commonwealth Mile closes the programme on Saturday 1 August.
Track Cycling & Para Track Cycling
30 Jul–2 Aug
Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Concentrated into the final four days — team pursuits and sprints from 30 July, final sessions on closing Sunday.
Judo
31 Jul–2 Aug
SEC. Three days of competition across all weight categories; medal contests each afternoon from 16:00.
Opening & closing ceremonies
Opening ceremony: Thursday 23 July at the OVO Hydro. Closing ceremony: Sunday 2 August — includes the formal handover to Ahmedabad, India, host of the Centenary Games in 2030.
How to watch without a TNT Sports subscription
If you don't have TNT Sports, Channel 5's daily highlights will be your best option for catching the key moments without paying anything extra. The highlights packages are expected to cover medal ceremonies, sprint finals, and the major stories of each day.
For a full event-by-event guide as the Games unfold, the Watchsport app will show all Commonwealth Games sessions across TNT Sports and Channel 5 — so you can see at a glance what's live and what's coming up each day.
A Glasgow Games worth watching
The compact format is actually a selling point. Instead of juggling 20-odd sports across a sprawling multi-city footprint, Glasgow 2026 keeps everything tight — four venues, one city, ten days. For a UK viewer, it's also the first major multi-sport event on home soil since London 2012, and with Scottish athletes competing in front of a home crowd, the atmosphere should be something.
The BBC's absence changes the viewing experience, but the sport itself is unchanged. Same athletes, same moments, different channel.
