Report By Maqsood Ahmed.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games (XXIII Commonwealth Games) will take place from July 23 to August 2, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland. This will mark Scotland’s fourth time hosting the event, following Edinburgh in 1970 and 1986, and Glasgow in 2014. Other past host nations include Ireland, Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Jamaica, and India.
England topped the medal table at the previous edition in Birmingham (2022). Originally, the 2026 Games were to be hosted by the Australian state of Victoria, but the government withdrew in 2023 due to soaring costs, which rose from the projected $2.6 billion to as high as $6–7 billion (or around $4.9 billion, according to some reports).
Pakistan has participated in 14 out of 22 Commonwealth Games since debuting in 1954, winning 27 gold, 27 silver, and 28 bronze medals (total 82), ranking 15th overall. Wrestling remains Pakistan’s most successful sport with 42 medals, including 21 gold, placing the country third on the all-time wrestling list.
Notable gold medalists include Arshad Nadeem (men’s javelin throw, 2022 Birmingham), Nooh Dastgir Butt (+109kg weightlifting, 2022 Birmingham, with a new CWG record), Haider Ali (boxing, 2002), and Shujauddin Malik (85kg weightlifting, 2006).
In the 2022 Birmingham Games, Pakistan sent 42 men and 25 women athletes (total 67) competing in athletics, badminton, boxing, cricket, hockey, gymnastics, judo, squash, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling.
Glasgow 2026 is set to feature athletics (including para events), swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, lawn bowls and para bowls, as well as 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.
Pakistan aims to strengthen its medal prospects through greater investment in wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, kabaddi, athletics, and other traditional sports, alongside youth development programs, training camps, and international exposure.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Badminton | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Boxing | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Cricket | — | 15 | 15 |
| Hockey | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Gymnastics | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Judo | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Squash | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Swimming | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Table Tennis | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Weightlifting | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Wrestling | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | 42 | 25 | 67 |