No cricket in 2026 Commonwealth Games (Source: AFP)
By 2024, cricket became the second-most-popular sport in the world behind soccer, boasting at least 2.5 billion fans, according to the World Atlas, one of the largest geography publishing resources.
Despite it's ever-growing popularity, the sport’s international play relies heavily on ICC tournaments, bilateral series, and regional contests rather than a unified global league structure.
In the same context, cricket’s has further been excluded from the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG), to be held in Glasgow, Scotland. The administration’s decision has surprised thousands of fans, considering how many eyeballs the sport brought four years ago towards the tournament.
Has cricket ever been a part of the Commonwealth Games?
Cricket has been part of the quadrennial event twice, back in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and 2022 in Birmingham, England.
It is worth noting that 1998 was the only event in which men’s ODIs were contested by 16 teams. Three teams from the West Indies, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and Jamaica, were part of the event. India had to split the teams into two, with the Sahara Cup against Pakistan coinciding with the Commonwealth Games.
Moreover, Northern Ireland and Scotland were the only teams from the British Isles. South Africa, led by Shaun Pollock, won the gold medal, defeating Australia in the final. Lastly, New Zealand beat Sri Lanka in the bronze clash.
But when cricket returned at Birmingham 2022, it only featured women’s T20Is, with eight teams. Notably, Barbados represented the West Indies. Australia, led by Meg Lanning, won the Gold medal this time and India the silver, while New Zealand picked up their second bronze medal at cricket.
Why will cricket not be a part of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games?
Reports emerged back in 2024 that the T20 format of the game had again found its place in the initial list of sports released for the Commonwealth Games 2026, which was then supposed to be held in the state of Victoria, Australia.
The opening game of the tournament was set to be held at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, which hosted the CWG in 2006.
However, the Victorian Government, after an in-depth examination of the cost of securing and planning for the 2026 CWG, withdrew as the host.
They clarified that host cities typically have 7 or 8 years to prepare for the Commonwealth Games. But Victoria only had 4 years to deliver the event. This included building sports venues and athletes' villages.
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Thus, in March 2024, the government decided that the Games no longer represented value for money and withdrew, only a couple of years before the start of the tournament.
Later, Glasgow, Scotland stepped in to rescue the games using an existing, low-cost infrastructure model.
Katie Sadler, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, had then noted that CWG 2026 will mark a step towards a more sustainable model, minimising the costs, reducing the environmental footprint, and enhancing social impact.
Hence, nine events that were part of Birmingham 2022, including cricket, have been dropped from the Glasgow 2026 edition.
What is cricket’s future beyond ICC events?
Nonetheless, the sport is witnessing a notable emergence in the traditionally non-cricket-playing nations.
Driven by fast-paced T20 formats, countries including the United States, Nepal, and parts of Europe are noticing never-before-seen growth. This has been possible in the form of franchise leagues like the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA and the European T20 Premier League (ETPL).
Moreover, in Los Angeles in 2028, cricket will return to the Olympics for the first time since the Paris Games in 1900, in other words, after a gap of 128 years. There will be two medal events, men’s and women’s competitions, both of which will be played in the T20 format.
Lastly, cricket is also returning for its fourth time at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, featuring separate T20 tournaments for men and women. Ten men's teams and eight women's teams will compete.
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