Cricket will be absent from the Commonwealth Games 2026 despite the sport’s memorable return at the Birmingham edition four years ago. As the Glasgow Games begin on Thursday, July 23, cricket is among several major sports that have been absent from the programme as organisers go for a much smaller and more cost-effective format.
India had not been able to achieve a silver medal in women's T20 cricket at Birmingham 2022 after losing to Australia in the final but had won a silver medal in the women's T20 cricket competition after losing to Australia in the final. Cricket has returned to the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 24 years and the women's T20 event became one of the most watched cricket competitions of the Birmingham edition.
And neither men's nor women's cricket will be part of the 2026 Games.
Cricket made its debut at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur. Since then it has only featured in the event’s programme occasionally. Women's T20 cricket at Birmingham 2022 had raised hopes that cricket could be a regular part of the Games but financial and logistical issues with the 2026 Games changed that.
The main reason for cricket being excluded is the unusual circumstances of hosting Glasgow 2026. Victoria in Australia was initially going to host the Games. But in July 2023 the Victorian government pulled out of hosting and the Victorian government decided to cancel the hosting contract due to the fact that the cost to host the event was now estimated to be between AUD 6 billion and AUD 7 billion.
With the future of the 2026 Games uncertain, Glasgow was called on to act as a late replacement host. Local organisers and the Commonwealth Games Federation set up a compact model in place of the bigger event to make it more affordable and feasible to get the event staged within a short timeframe.
The number of sports was reduced from 19 at Birmingham 2022 to just 10 in Glasgow. Organisers are now relying on four existing venues and there’s less need for expensive construction and big infrastructure upgrades.
Cricket was among the sports dropped from the programme, along with other popular disciplines such as hockey, badminton, table tennis, wrestling and rugby sevens.
Cricket is a game of big playing fields, huge squad sizes and pre-game preparation for a pitch, so the economics and logistics of staging cricket were also important. Laying the soil and preparing pitches are costly (especially when the organising team is working with a limited number of existing venues).
Instead, the Glasgow Games are looking for sports which can be played more easily in existing indoor arenas, athletics venues and other venues that are readily adapted to the Glasgow Games with minimal conversion requirements. Organisers will have the benefit of keeping costs under control while still ensuring the event can proceed after the collapse of the original hosting plan.
Cricket fans are disappointed the sport has not been included, especially after the success of the women's T20 competition in Birmingham. India's silver medal in 2022 had helped to put the sport on the Commonwealth Games programme.
But the Glasgow edition is a special, streamlined version of the Games and not a permanent decision on cricket’s future. Whether cricket returns in a future Commonwealth Games will be up to the hosting model, funding and preferences of future organisers.
For now, cricket fans will have to wait as Glasgow 2026 begins without one of the Commonwealth's most popular sports.
