Commonwealth Games 2026: How to Watch Glasgow on UK TV as the BBC Era Ends
For the first time since 1950 the Commonwealth Games will not be on the BBC. Glasgow 2026 runs from 23 July to 2 August, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with free daily highlights on Channel 5.
By What Sport Is On TodayThe Quick Answer
The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games run from Thursday 23 July to Sunday 2 August, and for the first time since 1950 none of it is live on the BBC. Live coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports, with every event streaming on HBO Max, where the Basic with Ads plan costs £4.99 a month. Channel 5 carries free daily highlights as the exclusive English-language free-to-air partner. The opening ceremony is at the OVO Hydro on 23 July and competition starts the next morning.
That broadcasting shift is the single most important thing to know about these Games. If you have watched every Commonwealth Games of your life on BBC One, this is the edition where the habit breaks, and the four days between the World Cup final on 19 July and the opening ceremony are your window to sort out access.
A 76 Year Habit Ends
The BBC had broadcast every Commonwealth Games since 1950. For Glasgow 2026, Warner Bros. Discovery holds the exclusive UK live rights, and its plan has three layers:
- TNT Sports runs a dedicated linear channel for the Games in the UK and Ireland, with more than 600 hours of live coverage.
- HBO Max streams every sport and every session. The platform launched in the UK in March 2026, and the cheapest way in is the Basic with Ads plan at £4.99 a month.
- Channel 5 is the free-to-air partner, with extensive daily highlights rather than live action. S4C carries Welsh-language coverage and BBC Alba covers the Games in Gaelic.
The practical upshot: a single month of HBO Max at £4.99 covers the entire Games, which at 11 days works out at about 45p a day. If you only want the story of each day rather than live finals, Channel 5 costs nothing. Full ticket and venue details are on the official Glasgow 2026 site ↗, and the highlights schedule sits with Channel 5 ↗.
A Smaller, Sharper Games
Glasgow 2026 is deliberately compact: 10 sports, around 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories, and every venue within an eight mile corridor across the city. It is roughly half the size of Birmingham 2022, a rescue plan after the original Australian hosts withdrew, and Glasgow reuses venues from its 2014 Games rather than building new ones.
Six of the 10 sports carry integrated para events, so para athletics, para swimming, para track cycling, para bowls, wheelchair 3x3 basketball and para powerlifting all sit inside the main programme with full medal status.
Sport by Sport Schedule
| Sport | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming and para swimming | Fri 24 to Wed 29 July | Tollcross International Swimming Centre |
| Artistic gymnastics | Fri 24 to Tue 28 July | Commonwealth Arena |
| 3x3 basketball and wheelchair 3x3 | Fri 24 to Wed 29 July | Scottish Event Campus |
| Boxing | Fri 24 July to Sat 1 August | Scottish Event Campus |
| Bowls and para bowls | Fri 24 July to Sun 2 August | Scottish Event Campus |
| Weightlifting and para powerlifting | Fri 24 to Thu 30 July | SEC Armadillo |
| Netball | Sat 25 July to Sun 2 August | OVO Hydro |
| Athletics and para athletics | Mon 27 July to Sat 1 August | Scotstoun Stadium |
| Track cycling and para track cycling | Thu 30 July to Sun 2 August | Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome |
| Judo | Fri 31 July to Sun 2 August | Scottish Event Campus |
The rhythm is worth planning around. Swimming and gymnastics own the first week, athletics takes over from Monday 27 July, and the final weekend stacks track cycling, judo, and the netball and bowls finals on top of the closing athletics sessions. Our athletics page and cycling page list each day's action once the Games are under way, and the this week page shows everything in one list.
What to Actually Watch
With England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland competing separately, the home nations angle is stronger than at an Olympics, and a Scottish crowd will make the velodrome and Scotstoun loud. Three storylines stand out:
- The pool comes first. Swimming finals from 24 July give the Games their opening week headlines, and the England v Australia medal table battle usually starts here.
- Athletics has a Saturday climax. Track and field runs to Saturday 1 August, so the traditional big Sunday is instead a big final Saturday at Scotstoun.
- Netball finals weekend. Australia, Jamaica, England and New Zealand have made netball one of the most competitive events in the programme, and the medal matches land on the closing weekend at the Hydro.
Common Questions
Is the Commonwealth Games 2026 on the BBC?
No. For the first time since 1950 the BBC has no Commonwealth Games rights. Live coverage is on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with free daily highlights on Channel 5.
What is the cheapest way to watch Glasgow 2026 live?
HBO Max Basic with Ads at £4.99 a month streams every event live. One month covers the whole Games, and you can cancel afterwards. Our sports streaming guide covers how the UK services compare.
When do the Commonwealth Games 2026 start and finish?
The opening ceremony is on Thursday 23 July 2026 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow. Competition runs from Friday 24 July to Sunday 2 August, the day of the closing ceremony.
Which sports are at Glasgow 2026?
Ten sports: athletics, swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, boxing, judo, bowls, weightlifting and 3x3 basketball. Six of them include integrated para events.
The Summer Keeps Going
Glasgow picks up almost exactly where the World Cup leaves off: the final in New Jersey is on 19 July, covered in our World Cup knockout stages guide, and the opening ceremony follows four days later. The Open at Royal Birkdale bridges the gap from 16 to 19 July, covered in our summer golf TV guide. However you split the subscriptions, there is live sport worth watching every single day from now until August.