Australia finished top of the medal table at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with 70 gold medals and 171 in total, as the scaled-back edition of the Games closed on Sunday after eleven days of competition.
The gold tally was 16 more than the combined total of England, hosts Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England finished second in the standings.
Why were these Games scaled back?
Glasgow staged a reduced programme of 10 sports across 16 disciplines, with 215 medal events contested by athletes from 74 nations and territories. Previous editions have carried substantially larger programmes.
The city stepped in after no other host came forward. Glasgow was identified in April 2024 as what organisers described as a last option to safeguard the Games, having already hosted in 2014.
| Measure | Glasgow 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23 July to 2 August |
| Nations and territories | 74 |
| Sports (disciplines) | 10 (16) |
| Medal events | 215 |
| Australia gold / total | 70 / 171 |
Who won the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
Australia topped the medal table at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August 2026, winning 70 gold medals and 171 medals overall. England finished second. The Games were the twenty-third edition and the second hosted by Glasgow, following 2014. They were staged on a reduced programme of 10 sports across 16 disciplines, with 215 medal events contested by athletes from 74 nations and territories, after Glasgow stepped in as host when no other city came forward. A record 141 Para-sport medals were awarded. South Africa swimmer Chad le Clos became the most decorated athlete in the history of the Games with his 21st medal. Rwanda, Dominica and Tuvalu each recorded milestone results, with Dominica winning its first ever Commonwealth gold.
Which nations made history?
Several smaller delegations recorded firsts. Rwanda won its first medal in the history of the Games when Florence Niyonkuru took bronze in the 10,000m. Dominica claimed its first gold through Thea LaFond in the women’s triple jump. Boxer Tarona Taafaki won Tuvalu’s first Commonwealth medal, a bronze in the women’s 75kg division.
A record 141 Para-sport medals were awarded in Glasgow, according to the BBC. Para events have been integrated into the main programme since 2002.
South Africa’s Chad le Clos became the most successful athlete in Games history, taking his 21st medal with bronze in the men’s 4x100m medley relay and moving one clear of Australian swimmer Emma McKeon.
The next edition is scheduled for 2030. Australia leads the all-time Commonwealth Games medal table, ahead of England and Canada.
What happens to the Games now?
Glasgow’s rescue of the 2026 edition followed the withdrawal of the previous host and a period in which no replacement emerged. The reduced format, with 10 sports rather than the larger programmes of Birmingham 2022 and Gold Coast 2018, was the condition on which the Games went ahead at all.
Organisers have presented the smaller model as a template for future editions, arguing that lower hosting costs widen the pool of cities able to bid. The 2030 Games will mark the centenary of the first edition, held in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930.
Among the larger delegations, India recorded medals across athletics, judo and boxing, including a silver for Neeraj Chopra in the men’s javelin.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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