Cricket is not part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG), which get underway in Glasgow on Thursday, July 23. The sport's exclusion is particularly significant for India, whose women's team won the silver medal when cricket returned to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 after a 24-year absence.
Before that, the sport had last featured at the Games during the 1998 edition in Kuala Lumpur.
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Why Cricket Is Missing From The Glasgow Games
Unlike previous editions, the 23rd Commonwealth Games have been significantly scaled back, with only 215 medal events spread across 10 sports. In comparison, the Birmingham 2022 Games featured 20 sports, while the 2018 and 2014 editions had 18 sports each.
The sports dropped from the 2026 Commonwealth Games include diving, badminton, beach volleyball, cricket, hockey, rugby sevens, squash, table tennis, triathlon and wrestling.
As a result, this year's Games will see around 2,000 fewer athletes compete, with no new sporting venues being built to host the event.
Why Several Sports Were Dropped
Glasgow was never the original host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The event was initially awarded to Victoria, Australia. However, in July 2023, the Australian state withdrew as host after projected costs surged to an estimated AUD 6-7 billion ($4-5 billion), citing the financial burden of staging the Games.
The event remained in limbo for several months before Glasgow emerged as the replacement host. It was only in September 2024 that it was officially confirmed the Scottish government would stage the Games, with Commonwealth Games Australia providing significant financial backing.
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With a limited preparation window and the need to keep the event financially viable, organisers significantly reduced the programme, with competitions spread across just four existing venues.
As a result, several sports — including cricket, despite its global popularity — were dropped from the programme.
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